Dr. Fauci was at St. John's, Lafayette Square

The Rev. Robert W. Fisher, right, interviews Dr. Anthony Fauci at St. John's Church, Mar. 19, 2023/By Patricia Leslie

The Reverend Robert W. Fisher called it a “fireside chat,” and that’s what it was when Dr. Anthony Fauci visited the Adult Forum at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square to talk about his life and answer a few questions.

Dr. Fauci grew up in a mixed Italian, Puerto Rican, Jewish, African-American, Catholic Brooklyn neighborhood where his family’s mantra was to give back to the community and perform public service, a mission which has influenced him throughout life. 

It was a sense of "service for others and not for financial gain," Dr. Fauci said.

Neighbors, friends, and family members took care of each other, amidst a great sense of community, Dr. Fauci said.

Church vestry member Wendy J. Fibison introduced him at St. John's as our "our national treasure," similar to "hero" which candidate George H.W. Bush called him during a 1988 presidential debate.  

Appearing very much at ease before a friendly crowd of about 150, Dr. Fauci displays a “great bedside manner,“ Rev. Fisher said.

Beginning with Ronald Reagan, Dr. Fauci has served seven U.S. presidents as medical advisor, all good relationships, "with the exception of one," he said to audience laughter. No names were mentioned.

Before he visited the White House in his official role the first time, a mentor cautioned Dr. Fauci that the White House was a seductive place where invitations to return were always desirable, and sharing bad news was not something you wanted to present to the leader, but it was a requirement of the job and he did it, offering "inconvenient truths" when necessary.

Dr. Fauci said the many unknowns about Covid-19 produced the evolving treatments to fight the virus. 

Denying there was any "flip-flop," and terming the pandemic as a "gaslight," Dr. Fauci said it was "a rapidly evolving situation" and "we didn’t know that Covid was spread by breathing by persons without symptoms!" 

He likened fighting over Covid treatment to "the Army fighting with the Navy in a war."

"We had a common enemy, but we fought each other," he said.

He guaranteed another pandemic will come, perhaps not in the lifetimes of many present, but "it is going to happen again. We must use the lessons we’ve learned." 

(Before Covid, the last pandemic was the 1918 flu which killed about 50 million persons worldwide.)

Dr. Fauci said there is undisputed truth that persons who are vaccinated and boostered are better protected against Covid. "It's a slam dunk."

Those who disagree about vaccines should not be made to feel "stupid and dumb," but "we are evolving into an anti-vaccine era“ and taking “a gigantic step backwards."

As for "gain of function, generally when someone talks about it, they don’t know what they’re talking about.“

Many envy Dr. Fauci's good health at age 82 which he attributed to a combination of physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, noting that being perfectly balanced in all areas is unlikely, but you can try.

He's always been active physically, “running marathons, and half marathons." Plus, it's important to have a close association with someone to help you decompress, he said, acknowledging his wife sitting nearby. 

“If I had to do it alone, that would be very difficult," he said.

When a church member asked him about his book, Dr. Fauci said he has not written one, and although he's officially "retired," he's not retired because he forgot about retirement and scheduled events for three months out from retirement.

He advises his medical students to “expect the unexpected,“ the way his life has gone.

A valuable lesson he's learned in Washington, D.C., he said to laughter, is to be "very nice to everybody in Washington, D.C."

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The day after in Washington, D.C.

A proud moment in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Nov. 8, 2020, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, where St. John's Episcopal Church stands at the center of it all. boarded up and the building closed but the church conducts on-site services in Virginia and the District and offers online programs and classes/Patricia Leslie

At the corner of H and 16th streets, NW at St. John's Episcopal Church,
Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

The side entrance of St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020, on H Street NW. The Smithsonian Institution has requested the painted windows, all made by black artists, when they come down and the church building re-opens/Patricia Leslie

The sign says: "IT'S TIME TO THROW OUT THE GARBAGE - DUMP TRUMP - SWEEP HIM OUT,"  Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Making street signs in the street at Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Is it just me that many of Trump's while male supporters all look like Harley-Davidson riders? There was one at Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020, under no threat by anyone/Patricia Leslie

The rare Trump supporter who drew barely any notice at Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

There was dancin' in the street at Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

At St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, where the middle sign reads: AZ+ NV+ GA+ PA+ = DEMOCRACY. The sign on the far right reads: We (heart) Math! 74,811,378 - 70,554,537 = WE WON, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

This sign on the fence on H Street, NW says:  THANKS TRUMP - YOU MADE ME INTO AN ACTIVIST across the H Street NW entrance at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

The Washington Monument in the distance from Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

The sign on the fence surrounding Lafayette Park on H Street, NW says:  i WANT YOU TO PROTECT AMERICAN DEMOCRACY FROM AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL TRUMP COUP D'ETAT! Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

The White House fortress erected by the National Park Service upon the direction of the Secret Service (and costing U.S. taxpayers, $?) at the intersection of 15th Street, NW, and Pennsylvania Avenue where President Bill Clinton played Sunday street hockey with regulars, now blocked to keep citizens out/Patricia Leslie

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'Boom!' Charlie Cook predicts a Biden win

Charlie Cook

Folks, the 2016 pollsters weren't all that off-key, said Charlie Cook on Sunday at a Zoom gathering of the Adult Forum at St. John's Episcopal Church-Lafayette Square. (Yes, the same church where Trump thumped or thumbed or trummed or trumped the Bible or whatever he did to it upside down on June 1.) 

What the pollsters missed in 2016 was the Electoral College count, but there's no mistaking that Joe Biden is a lot more likeable than Hillary Clinton was, and voters this year are weary of Donald Trump, evidenced by his falling poll numbers which match his falling fundraising numbers, covid and the first debate and "boom!"  

Trump is done and fried.  

All his lies before the first debate and his performance that night turned off the few remaining undecided voters, said Mr. Cook.

After the first debate, the fence sitters "turned down the volume" and "boom! I don't think they are hearing a word he's saying now," Mr. Cook said. 

It's a "totally different dynamic" this year compared to 2016.  What we have now is "an up or down vote on the incumbent," absent in 2016 which saw a late breaking vote for Trump. His unfavorable ratings then were matched by Hillary's, both candidates' ratings, "way upside down."  

Many voters didn't much like either person.

This year Joe Biden has positive ratings which exceed his negatives, while the opposite has always plagued Trump who has a 20% chance of winning the Electoral College.

Mr. Cook quoted a portion of the "unknowns" statement by Donald Rumsfeld (the second most remembered thing about him):

As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don’t know we don’t know.

Biden has a 40% percent chance of a "skinny win" and a 40% chance of a "big win" if he wins five or six of the "big 6" (Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina) and a big get if he wins Ohio, Georgia, Iowa, or Texas.

Trump must win Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia to stay in office.

This year's turnout is "huge;" it's not "a close race," but whether the early voters are new voters or ones who would have voted anyway is not known...yet.

2020 may become a "wave" election, like those in 1964 and 1980, Mr. Cook said.

The 2016 pollsters may have leaned too heavily on the college-educated without adequate attention to the non-college-educated, Mr. Cook said, skewing the numbers, but pollsters have pretty well learned their lesson, and that is not happening this year.

One of Hillary's errors in 2016 was using the word "deplorables" which "cost her a half million to a million votes." 

Another "big mistake" she made was going to Arizona at the expense of Michigan and Wisconsin which she did not visit between Labor Day and Election Day.  (Hillary "has accumulated a lot of baggage over the years.")

She lost those states and, in case anyone has been napping four years, the election.

Mr. Cook quoted the Gallup Poll: Trump's first year in office earned him the lowest post-World War II job approval rating ever recorded for any president (by 10+ points! 38%) and his second year (40%), was the second lowest post-World War II rating.  (Jimmy Carter's third year in office takes that prize.) 

Trump's job current job approval average is 43% with an average over his term of 41%. He has hit as high as 49%, but his solid base of favorability by 40-42% of Americans will support him no matter what.  

History shows his present job approval rating is not enough to win a second term.

St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. Photo by Patricia Leslie

From St. John's:

 "Charlie Cook, Editor and Publisher of The Cook Political Report, political analyst for the National Journal Group, and a political analyst for NBC News. Founded in 1984, New York Times once described The Cook Political Report as, 'a newsletter that both parties regard as authoritative' while CBS News’ Bob Schieffer called it, 'the bible of the political community.' Mr. Cook has appeared on numerous news shows and has served over the years as an Election Night analyst; since 1996, he has been part of the NBC News Election Night Decision Desk."

St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. Photo by Patricia Leslie 

Charlie Cook is one benefit of belonging to St. John's. Another one is a nice respite from the election this coming Sunday when CNN "royal commentator," Victoria Arbiter, will speak on The Windsors: A Chat about the British Royal Family.

Writer's note to the Cook Political Report:  You are wrong labeling Virginia as "likely Democrat" in the "2020 Electoral College Ratings." We are SOLID Democrat as evidenced by the 44 point spread Biden has over Trump in Fairfax County. Whither goest, thou, Fairfax County, there follows the Commonwealth of Virginia.

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The Trumps came to church today

A spring bouquet is coming to St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Melania is of slighter build and thinner than she appears. She was wearing what looked to me like an ivory-colored, double-breasted coat dress.  

The Trumps arrived 10 or 15 minutes early for the 11 a.m. service at St. John's, and I did not see them enter the church and never saw her face.

They sat almost shoulder-to-shoulder in the "President's Pew" (where all presidents sit when they attend St. John's) with a woman (Secret Service?) at the end of the row. Trump leaned over and exchanged pleasantries with the woman from time to time, and she smiled.

He never took off his (dark blue or black) overcoat during the service, at least while I was there.  (I left the service early since I had already attended the 9 a.m. service, but I wanted to see the Trumps at 11 a.m. since word traveled fast at church that they were coming this morning!)

When he first sat down, Mr. Trump looked all around the church, up, down, and straight ahead.  The Trumps struck me as lovey-dovies (!) since they, or rather he exchanged words often with his wife, leaning over towards her several times before the service began.  She sat ramrod straight.  

From my vantage point five rows back, I could not really see Melania since someone had the nerve to sit in front of me (!) and block my view, but I could easily see Trump.

He is a big man.  

At first, I do not think he sang the hymns, but towards the end, he may have been singing with the rest of us.

He held the bulletin with the hymns in front of him and looked down, and I think I saw his mouth moving. However, in true Episcopalian fashion, he may have just been mouthing the words or barely whispering them.  We don't have much of a reputation for singing in the pews.

Until my view was blocked, I do not think she sang. 

The Rev. Bruce McPherson, the interim rector, delivered a sermon about St. Patrick (Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody!) and the obligations we have as Christians to speak up against hate speech, no matter where we are, what line we are standing in, or who is around us.  He said this was hard to do, and admitted he had passed up many opportunities himself, but in the wake of New Zealand, we need to speak up.  

It takes courage, he said, but that is what leadership is about. 

At the beginning of his sermon, he said something about a fox which, he said, does not have the connotation now that it had then.

It was the same sermon the Rev. McPherson gave at 9 a.m. so there was no hidden meaning for the Trumps, like I suppose some might suspect.

When you are the center of attention and are used to lecturing those around you rather than being a listener, I imagine the roles are hard to swap.  

After two or three minutes of the sermon (about 15 minutes long, in the usual Episcopalian tradition), Trump seemed to fidget a little, looking a little left, a little right, and for a half-second, I wondered if he would get up and march out, but soon he became enamored by the content, as were the rest of us, and he listened.  

There were no sounds. Everyone was glued to Rev. McPherson's words. Including at least one of the three agents who sat in the row behind the president and Mrs. Trump.

From the pulpit, Rev. McPherson said that he admired the Islamic faith, and he quoted this line from Islam:  "You are God, and I am not."

It was an excellent sermon, and I hope we all go out and follow Rev. McPherson's advice.

Every Sunday at church when we say out loud "the Prayers of the People," the same lines are said: We pray for "Donald, our president," members of the U.S. Congress and the Supreme Court, and peoples of nations who are experiencing extreme difficulties, such as those in Venezuela and in New Zealand.

During silent prayers today, someone said out loud (which anyone can do but it is rare in the silent Episcopalian custom for anyone to say out loud anything alone at St. John's), "we pray for Donald and our nation."
 
Before the Trumps arrived, the Secret Service brought in the dogs to scope out the place, but I was at a meeting upstairs and missed them, which I really wanted to see! Maybe, the next time.

Rather than orange, I would call Donald's hair color,  suntanned blonde.  If you have seen her photos lately, you have noticed the blonde streaks in Melanie's hair.

Were you there?  What else can you add? Maybe it's not appropriate for me to write about their "personal time" at church, but the way I look at it, anytime the President of the United States goes public, it's our, the people's, time.

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U.S. Army Chorus opens St. John's free First Wednesday concert series, Oct. 3

The U.S. Army Chorus

American spirituals, patriotic favorites, and more are set to be performed by the United States Army Chorus when it opens this year's series of free concerts at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, on October 3. 

The lunchtime concerts are part of the church's First Wednesday performances played monthly at 12:10 p.m. and lasting about 35 minutes.

Formed in 1956 to accompany the U.S. Army Band, the U.S. Army Chorus regularly sings with the National Symphony Orchestra on Memorial Day, Independence Day, at other patriotic events, and for visiting heads of state. It tours the U.S. and performs with local symphonies.

Also called "Pershing's Own," the chorus, whose members speak more than 26 languages and dialects, is one of the few professional male choruses in the U.S.

In the Chorus's repertoire are traditional military music, pop, Broadway, folk, and classical tunes. Major Leonel A. Pena is the director.

T .

St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C./ Photo by Patricia Leslie

St. John's founded in 1815 is known to many Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square, and often called the “Church of the Presidents.” Beginning with James Madison who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has been a member of St. John's or has attended services at the church. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.

For those on lunch break, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.

Who: The U.S. Army Chorus

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., October 3, 2018

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, Washington, D.C. 20005

How much: No charge

Duration: About 35 minutes

Wheelchair accessible

Metro stations: McPherson Square (White House exit), Farragut North, or Farragut West

For more information: Contact Michael Lodico, St. John's director of music ministry, at 202-270-6265.

Future dates and artists of the First Wednesday Concerts are:

November 7: The Ars Nova Brass Quintet with organist Michael Lodico 

December 5: The Episcopal High School Chamber Chorus will sing Music of the Season under the direction of Brent Erstad.

January 9, 2019 (second Wednesday): Concert organist Colin Lynch will play works by French composers.


February 6: Baritone Bob McDonald's sings jazz from Broadway shows.

March 6: No concert due to Ash Wednesday.

April 3: A concert by percussionist Tom Maloy and organist Michael Lodico

May 1: Music by organist Lisa Galoci and trumpeter Chuck Seipp to include the world premiere of Paul Leavitt's Fanfare for Trumpet and Organ

June 5: The U.S. Air Force Strings with pianist Brent Erstad will play Gerald Finzi's Ecologue and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis   

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Women composers featured at free noontime concert, June 6, St. John's, Lafayette Square

Composer, organist, and teacher Margaret Vardell Sandresky of Winston-Salem, N.C.

Selections by three women composers are the program for a free concert Wednesday, June 6, at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square beginning at 12:10 p.m.

The three composers are  
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–1969) from Poland, Clara Schumann (1819–1896) from Germany, and a living artist, Margaret Vardell Sandresky (b. 1921) from Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C. 

The U.S. Air Force Strings under the direction of
First Lieutenant Philip Emory will perform Symphony for String Orchestra (Bacewicz), followed by organist Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler to play Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major, Op. 16 No. 2 (Schumann) and Dialogues for Organ and Strings (Sandresky).

Organist Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler



 
Dr. Kubiaczyk-Adler began studying piano at age 8 in her native Poland and started organ studies at 16. A winner of national and international competitions, she holds a doctorate in musical arts (Arizona State University), two master's degrees, and professional diplomas. She is the associate music director at All Saints Episcopal Church in Phoenix.

Lt. Emory is a flight commander based in Washington, who began violin studies at age 4. He holds a master's degree in conducting from the University of South Carolina and has traveled the world as an artist.

                     

St. John's Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Wednesday's performances will conclude St. John's First Wednesday series for the year.  Look for an announcement of next year's artists and save first Wednesdays on your calendar.

St. John's was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison, who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services at the church, and several have been members. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.

Benjamin Latrobe, known as the "father of American architecture" and the architect of the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House porticos, designed St. John's Church in the form of a Greek cross.

The church bell, weighing almost 1,000 pounds, was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, in August, 1822, and was hung at St. John's that November where it has rung since. Wikipedia says two accounts report that whenever the bell rings on the occasion of the death of a notable person, six male ghosts appear at the president's pew at midnight and quickly disappear.

Dolley Madison, wife of President Madison, was baptized and confirmed at St. John's, according to the National Park Service, which calls the church "one of the few original remaining buildings left near Lafayette Park today."

For those on lunch break Wednesday, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.

What: First Wednesday Concert featuring music by women composers by organist Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler and the U.S. Air Force Strings 
 
When: 12:10 p.m., June 6, 2018

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, Washington, D.C. 20005

How much: No charge

Duration: About 35 minutes

Wheelchair accessible

Metro stations: McPherson Square (White House exit), Farragut North, or Farragut West

For more information: Contact Michael Lodico at 202-270-6265 or Michael.Lodico@stjohns-dc.org or 202-347-8766
 

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Angelic organ music plays at free Wednesday concert, St. John's, Lafayette Square

Sebastiano Ricci (Venetian, 1659-1734), The Ecstasy of Saint Francis, 1706-1720, National Gallery of Art, Washington. Saint Francis turns and sinks into the supporting arms of angels as he is pierced with rays from an apparition above, on view at the National Gallery's Heavenly Earth exhibition through July 8, 2018. 

Angels everywhere is the program set for the free noontime concert Wednesday, May 2, at  St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square.

Heralding their arrival will be a new arrangement of Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound  by Craig Phillips, the composer for much of the program which will begin at 12:10 p.m. and last about 35 minutes.

Michael Lodico, the organist and director of music ministry at St. John’s, will be the guest artist.

Michael Lodico, organist and director of music ministry, St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C.

The composer is the director of music ministry at All Saints’ Church in Beverly Hills whose works are performed throughout the world.  Dr. Phillips has won and judged many competitions and has received numerous commissions including that from the Washington National Cathedral.   He earned his master and doctoral degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. 

Craig Phillips, composer

Mr. Lodico, recently promoted to head St. John’s music ministry, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and recipient of a Fulbright grant for graduate study in the Netherlands.

The program, part of St. John's First Wednesday Concerts, is:

Fugue sur le thème du Carillon des Heures de la Cathedrale de Soissons by Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)

  

Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound  arrangement by Craig Phillips (b. 1961)

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Lobe Den Herren)              arr. Phillips

Archangel Suite                                   Phillips                                                             

 I.  Michael  "...there was a war in heaven.  Michael and his angels fought          against the dragon."  - Revelations 12:7

  

II.  Gabriel  -  Messenger of God, and messenger of the Annunciation

III.  Raphael - Archangel of healing

  

IV.  Uriel - Archangel of Light

Fugue on the Carillon d'Alet                Phillips                       

St. John's Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

The church was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison, who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services at the church, and several have been members. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.

Benjamin Latrobe, known as the "father of American architecture" and the architect of the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House porticos, designed St. John's Church in the form of a Greek cross.

The church bell, weighing almost 1,000 pounds, was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, in August, 1822, and was hung at St. John's that November where it has rung since. Wikipedia says two accounts report that whenever the bell rings on the occasion of the death of a notable person, six male ghosts appear at the president's pew at midnight and quickly disappear.

Dolley Madison, wife of President Madison, was baptized and confirmed at St. John's, according to the National Park Service, which calls the church "one of the few original remaining buildings left near Lafayette Park today."

For those on lunch break Wednesday, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.

Who: Organist Michael Lodico plays heavenly angels in a Craig Phillips concert

What: First Wednesday Concert

When: 12:10 p.m., May 2, 2018

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, Washington, D.C. 20005

How much: No charge

Duration: About 35 minutes

Wheelchair accessible

Metro stations: McPherson Square (White House exit), Farragut North, or Farragut West

For more information: Contact Michael Lodico at 202-270-6265 or Michael.Lodico@stjohns-dc.org or 202-347-8766
 

The last First Wednesday concert of the season, beginning at 12:10 p.m. and lasting until 12:45 p.m., is:

June 6: Music by Women Composers, including Margaret Sandresky's Dialogues for Organ and Strings by Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler, organist, with the U.S. Air Force Strings
 

Attend May 2 and come away with joyful music and a sprinkling of angel dust to savor.

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