National Cathedral Flower Guild

The Bar Harbor Garden Club is pleased to present “National Cathedral Flower Guild” with Linda Woolley, flower designer for the Washington National Cathedral’s Flower Guild and a member of the Bar Harbor Garden Club, October 13, 2022, at 1:00 pm at Birch Bay Retirement Village, 25 Village Inn Road, Bar Harbor. The Club meeting will begin at 1 PM.  All are welcome to join.

Photograph courtesy of Linda Woolley.

The Washington National Cathedral is the sixth largest cathedral in the world and routinely hosts state funerals and the inaugural prayer service. It is dubbed, “the national place of prayer for all people,” but is privately funded, receiving no support from the government. State funerals, such as those for former presidents, members of Congress, and recently, Ambassador Madeleine Albright and General Colin Powell, usually command an exceptional group of designers from each of the teams.

The Guild has four teams who work one week per month and arrange all the flowers for the Cathedral’s worship services and unique events, such as lectures, weddings, baptisms, and funerals. All four teams are typically “on” for Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.

Linda Woolley will talk about the entire process of decorating the Cathedral: Flower ordering, conditioning, design selection and “recipes,” arranging, and take down, all of which happens every week, and sometimes more often, if there is a special service. She will show pictures of the work that goes on behind the scenes, as well as of the glorious arrangements that emerge.

A lawyer by training, Linda worked in Congress, and as a lobbyist and trade association CEO. She volunteered for 10 years as divorce mediator, and for the last 15 years as a flower designer for the Washington National Cathedral’s Flower Guild.

The Club meeting will begin with a brief business discussion at 1:00 PM and the talk will follow at 1:30 P.M. All are welcome to join the meeting and presentation.

This presentation is one of the monthly programs offered by the Bar Harbor Garden Club to the public. We do ask both club members and others to make a reservation by emailing president@barharborgardenclub.org .