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The annual Memorial Day Concert by the New York Philharmonic has been a beloved Cathedral tradition since 1992, when it was inaugurated as the official-unofficial beginning of summer in the city. After two years of virtual-only and physically-distanced, necessarily small performances, being able to bring this treasured concert back to the public and to the full Cathedral community makes it even more of a highlight this year.

Due to the Cathedral's 2019 Palm Sunday fire, and of course the 2020 COVID pandemic, the Memorial Day concert over the past three years has looked quite different from our more typical, standing-room-only gatherings of years past. One aspect of the concert that's returning this year might come as a surprise for those who haven't attended the concert before: a massive array of world flags, suspended from the ceiling of the Nave.

The origins of Memorial Day in the United States developed from Civil War-era commemorations of soldiers' graves, and gradually evolved over many decades until finally being codified as an official national holiday in 1967. Today, the holiday is a time to remember all those who have given their lives in defense of the country. So why, in addition to the flag of the United States, does the Cathedral so prominently display flags of other world nations?

The display of world flags alongside the Stars and Stripes has been part of the Cathedral's Memorial Day tradition since the concert was founded in 1992. The Cathedral is a uniquely American house of worship, and part of that American experience is our connection to other nations. Immigrants have played a major role in the shaping of this country from its birth to today. Visitors may already be familiar with the Cathedral's seven Chapels of the Tongues, each of which itself pays tribute to one of the immigrant groups around the time the Cathedral was under construction.

In the 1990s, and indeed throughout the Cathedral's history, our connection to the international community has likewise been an important part of the cutural and civic life here. Through hosted public talks and discussions with world leaders and thinkers like Vaclev Havel, The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Cathedral helped spur conversations on such topics as environmentalism, pacificism, animal rights, and racial justice.

Today in 2022, we're thankful to once again be able to hoist these world flags, even as we pay tribute to America's own banner of freedom. Today, we're cognizant both of contemporary world conflicts, like the war in Ukraine: this year's Memorial Day Concert is offered in solidarity with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters and in support of the world of the International Rescue Committee, and the Ukrainian flag will be prominently placed right beside America's. We're also aware that we have much to work on in our own country: gun violence, inequality, and the ongoing effects of the COVID pandemic are all top of mind.

We welcome you to come to the Cathedral this Memorial Day weekend, and take a moment to reflect on our nation's history and its interconnection with the people and nations across the world we share.