Unique: "having no like or equal; unmatched; noteworthy; remarkable."

That's a pretty good description of the Cathedral of St. George the Martyr and the Cathedral Domain in Lee County- the camp and conference center of the Diocese of Lexington.  What makes it unique?

For starters, not everyone has a wooden gothic cathedral church on top of a mountain as the center of their camp and conference center.  For those who have not made the trip to the Domain, especially in the spring of the year when trees are just budding, and in the fall, as leaves are falling, leaving the mountain limbs bare, it is always something of an amazement to round a curve on the mountain roads, look up and see a large red cross set in glass, announcing to all who pass that this mountain is set aside for God's purposes.  That's the Cathedral Domain.  And for those who want to know more about the story of how it came to be, there will be folks a-plenty willing to tell the tale, as well as written materials about the story of the Domain.

St. George's Day celebrates the feast day of the patron saint of the mountain cathedral - part of an ancient tradition of celebrating the feast day of the saint for which a church or organization is named.  St. George's Day is historically April 23rd, so the tradition of St. George's Day is the weekend closest to the 23rd.  St. George is a well-known saint, as such things go-immortalized I the myth of St. George and the Dragon.  Two interesting needlepoint depictions of that myth can be seen in the chairs in the cathedral chancel.

The festival day of St. George in the Diocese of Lexington is a combination family reunion-street fair-day-at-camp, and oh, yes - worship- with lots of picnics, hikes, catching of tadpoles, napping in the sunshine, visiting with old friends and making new ones, exploring the wooded hillside, and in general, having a relaxing good time with people from all across the area known as the Diocese of Lexington - from Middlesboro to Covington to Prestonsburg and back to Lexington and everywhere in-beween.

It's a day to come in your casual clothes and most comfortable shoes.  A day to understand what Bishop Moody, the founding Bishop of the Domain meant when he invited this diocese to "Come apart to a desert place and rest awhile."

See the box about St. George's weekend for the schedule.  Come as early as you can and stay as long as you can.  Or if you can only stay a little while, come anyway.  There's something for all ages awaiting you.

See you there!