EVERY WEEK WE PUBLISH a selection of letters we receive in response to something you've read at Anglicans Online. Stop by and have a look at what other AO readers are thinking.

Alas, we cannot publish every letter we receive. And we won't publish letters that are anonymous, hateful, illiterate, or otherwise in our judgment do not benefit the readers of Anglicans Online. We usually do not publish letters written in response to other letters. We edit letters to conform with standard AO house style for punctuation, but we do not change, for example, American spelling to conform to Canadian orthography. On occasion we'll gently edit letters that are too verbose in their original form. Email addresses are included when the authors give permission to do so.

If you'd like to respond to a letter whose author does not list an email, you can send your response to Anglicans Online and we'll forward it to the writer.

Like all letters to the editor everywhere, these letters express the opinions of the writers and not Anglicans Online. We publish letters that we think will be of interest to our readers, whether we agree with them or not. If you'd like to write a letter of your own, click here.

All of these letters are in reference to our front page of 4 March 2012, about cathedrals.

Cathedrals are important, and we need them

I think of cathedrals as being a bit like an icon, never perfect in its execution, but a window, nevertheless, into a holy place. Of course, everyone feels that about their church, and they are correct. But I believe the Apostolic Succession is important, and thus, we must have a catedra, and a bishop to sit in it. It doesn't have to be a grand stone edifice with gargoyles. My own cathedral church started out in 1898 as a small, wooden, white-washed building designated a 'pro-cathedral'. Currently, it is a large-ish building that serves the diocese as well as it can.

Michelle C Jackson
Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento
Elk Grove, California, USA
5 March 2012

Not even-snog

I almost agree with you about Cathedral Evensong. I love going, but never feel I'm allowed to sing. I, therefore, in some ways prefer my usual Sunday service with its congregation of ten. No one seems to mind my joining in the responses there.

Claire Steep
St Andrews in St Andrews
St Andrews, Fife, SCOTLAND
cs772@st-andrews.ac.uk
5 March 2012

Cathedrals are a symbol

While I do not think cathedral edifices are of the ESSE, I do believe they are another symbol of our unity under our bishop and they add so very much to the Anglican ethos we treasure.

I think cathedrals also represent our continuity with our ancient heritage.

Fr. Roger Stinnett
Grace Episcopal (retired)
Carthage, Missouri, USA
rstinnett1@sbcglobal.net
5 March 2012

Cathedrals serve other purposes

We definitely need Cathedrals, since they not only give a sense of security but are also centers for education, and by their permanence a record of continuity in Christ by their example.

Tony Breton
Traveling in Netherlands and France
7 March 2012

Earlier letters

We launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published letters are in our archives.