I'm not religious in any traditional sense, but when I used to live on 109th St. and Amsterdam, there was no bigger day on the calendar than Easter Sunday at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. St. John's - the largest gothic cathedral in the world - puts on a massive spectacle, including full orchestra, chorus, even dancers. Prior to 2001, one could also hear the 8,000 pipe Skinner organ, which boomed at various points throughout the service. (A digital organ is being used for now.)

The Easter ceremony was repeated yesterday in the crossing, which managed to hold over 1,000 people even though the cathedral was reduced to less than 1/3 of its usual capacity. There weren't any surprises, but for me, it was a comfort to hear the same hymns, the same organ voluntary - and especially the same meditations by Judy Collins and Paul Winter.  Timothy Brumfield did admirable double duty as both organist and conductor.