Letters to the Editor | May 16, 2023

Although an especially dramatic and wrenching case, Inquirer reporter Zoe Greenberg’s article about Emmanuel Christian Center’s sale of its Tiffany windows for $6,000 was not surprising. We at Partners for Sacred Places encounter congregations reckoning with the maintenance and restoration of historic sacred buildings around the country, and congregational leaders too often are not given the tools to assess — and perhaps save — what they have. Architects and building professionals can serve as guides in evaluating historic sacred buildings. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia is a great resource, as is the Stained Glass Association of America, which provides advice on building components. Even if stained glass windows fetch a high price, it rarely pays for congregations to sell — they often receive very little, and not enough to replace what is lost — a loss felt by congregants and their neighborhoods. From Tiffany at the Calvary Center in West Philadelphia to LaFarge at First Unitarian Church in Center City to the Willet windows at First United Methodist Church in Germantown, Philadelphia is rich with world-class stained glass. Many of these churches host public events or community-serving programs for neighbors in need. We must visit, volunteer, enjoy, and support these public assets.

A. Robert Jaeger, president, Partners for Sacred Places, Philadelphia

In a recent conversation with my 98-year-old aunt, I asked if she had a spiritual practice since she always seems so serene. “Oh yes, I have a prayer that I have been saying all my life. I made it up years ago,” she told me. It goes, “Lord, pick me up, dust me off, polish me, and let me shine your light on everyone I meet.” In a city filled with stress, illness, pain, suffering, and sadness, we can all find simple ways to shine light and love in our community. It can be something simple, such as holding a door open, giving a compliment, yielding in traffic, letting someone have a parking spot, tipping extra, anonymously paying for someone’s lunch, sending a greeting card to someone who’s sick, or simply saying nothing negative for a day. Kindness can be cultivated anywhere, and its ripple effects provide long-lasting nourishment for the soul. We are all droplets of kindness, forming a puddle, then a river, and finally an ocean of love that has the potential to wash away worry, hostility, and fear. How wonderful it would be to create a conscious culture of compassion, with everyone working together to promote brotherly love.

Patricia Gallagher, Philadelphia

I wish to respond to the Black wife and mother identified by a friendly stranger as a “nanny” in assessing the relationships in her otherwise white family. I am a white man who 53 years ago married a Black woman and adopted her children. I have found that a not unkind but effective way to respond to being identified stereotypically is to pleasantly toss it back by responding, “No, I’m not, but what makes you think so?” In my experience, the person is usually embarrassed and, one would hope, unlikely to forget the incident — or repeat it.

William J. Shepherd, Philadelphia