Notre Dame/Washington National Cathedral Benefit was a huge success!

The Benefit Safari held on the afternoon of April 28 at the National Cathedral was a great success, raising $4000, which will be
donated to the National Cathedral for the ongoing repairs of the 2011 earthquake damage and to Notre Dame de Paris to rebuild the
cathedral after the recent fire. There were 34 participants on the safari who each contributed a minimum of $100, and they were
treated to views of the cathedral that the normal visitor doesn’t see, by Cathedral Docent Andy Bittner and National Cathedral
Photo Curator Elody Crimi. Andy took them up to the rooftop for beautiful views of Northwest DC, the cathedral spires and lots of
Gargoyles, including Darth Vader! (Yes, he is indeed a Gargoyle, high up on the National Cathedral!) Elody took the group to the
Triforium to get a closer view of the largest and most spectacular stained glass windows. She also took the group to a small
area just under the Rose Window, for an expansive view of the center aisle of the nave.

The splendid rooftop view of the Gothic architecture of Washington National Cathedral was taken by John St. Hilaire, of Arlington, Virginia.
The Darth Vader Gargoyle is courtesy of Sherryl Belinsky and the view of the nave is by Mark Roth, all long-time safarians.