Vocabulary:

Nave – n., the large central part of a church

Towering – adj., very tall or very high

Funds – n., money 

Ongoing – adj., something that always happens

Daring – adj., very brave

Illicit – adj., against the law

Disorderly conduct –  n., behavior that is not peaceful

Trespass – v., to go onto private property without permission

Fondly – adv., with warm feelings

Close – n., the enclosed part of a cathedral

High-wire artist Philippe Petit will walk a tightrope across the nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in New York City, on Wednesday, August 7th, and again on the 8th. Grammy Award-winning musician Sting, a friend of Petit, will perform original music for the event.  The performance is called “Towering” and will raise funds for the Cathedral’s ongoing programs.

Petit, well-known for his daring high-wire walks around the world, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.

Even though Petit was arrested for what came to be known as “the art crime of the century,” he has never stopped walking on wires. “If I see two towers, I have to walk,” he told The New York Times. Later he added, “Anything that is giant and man-made strikes me in an awesome way and calls me.”

The illicit walk took 45 minutes and Petit, who turns 75 next week, was arrested for disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, but today his act is remembered fondly, including as part of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

He has walked high wires all over the world, from the Sydney Harbor bridge in Australia, to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and now, at 75 years old, he will celebrate the anniversary of this daring stunt in a place that holds great meaning for him – and is his spiritual home in New York.  It was the Reverend James Parks Morton, at the Cathedral in 1974, who requested Petit’s release from his arrest.  His daughter’s ashes are also at the Cathedral. When Morton retired at the end of 1996, Petit performed “Crescendo,” an aerial tribute on the cathedral’s close.

Photo source: https://millefiorifavoriti.blogspot.com/

Here is a video of another of Petit’s performances at the magnificent cathedral, his high-wire “Ribbon Walk” in February of 2024:

A visit to the cathedral is an amazing experience:

https://www.stjohndivine.org/visit

sources:

https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2024/08/07

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/opinion/philippe-petit-twin-towers.html?searchResultPosition=2