Ushers Serve Cathedral, History

State Funerals, Passing the Basket Are All in a Day's Work

Even at 4 a.m., there was not a second to waste when Michael Heid arrived at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday. He had to marshal a platoon of 18 ushers to their posts for the state funeral of former president Gerald R. Ford, which was still several hours away.

Even though the Secret Service, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a host of law enforcement officials were handling logistics during Ford's funeral, Heid held the real power during the program, in which every bit of pomp and ceremony was well-scripted.

"I went to 10 meetings," said Heid, who has been head usher at Washington National Cathedral since 2003. In that role, he serves as the cathedral's liaison with the Secret Service, the White House and the Military District of Washington. They planned the funeral down to the most minute detail.

"Everybody had to know the entrances and exits for the president and the former chief executives," Heid said. "I had a checklist. I had to go over how we would distribute the funeral programs. Sometimes, we place them on the seats, but this time we handed each person their program."

Whether he is working at a president's funeral or passing the collection basket every Sunday morning, Heid has been a fixture at the cathedral since 1970. It is his life.

"I met my wife ushering," he said. "I was baptized at the cathedral, and I am there every Sunday at 8 a.m."

Heid, 64, a resident of Fort Washington, is a former broadcaster at WTOP who teaches writing part time at Prince George's Community College. He spends about 13 hours a week as a part-time employee of the cathedral, coordinating the schedules of 99 other ushers, but this past week he logged more than 20 hours.

"He and the entire corps of ushers are extremely dedicated," said cathedral spokesman Greg Rixon. "It is not just for highly visible events. Every Sunday, every lecture, we rely on Mike and the corps of ushers. . . . He is a great leader. He does more than help people to their seats. He organizes an awful lot of folks. This is really a ministry that we take very seriously. This is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and Bishop John Bryson Chane."

Heid said the ushers' main objective is to greet the people entering the sanctuary and to help them in any way possible.

"We answer thousands of questions," he said. "We guide people through the communion. We take up the collection. We assist people in every phase of worship."

Heid's work draws praise from his colleagues. Derrick A. Humphries, a lawyer who has been an usher for two decades, including a stint from 1984 to 1994 as head usher, called Heid "an exceptional manager. His commitment to the cathedral is superlative."

Daniel R. Smith, Heid's predecessor, noted that the cathedral and its ushers play a special role beyond the Episcopal Church, dealing with people of many faiths. "I continue to feel privileged to help other people fill their religious needs, regardless of their personal faiths, in a quiet and dignified setting," he said.

Heid recalled female ushers aiding Lynne Cheney, the wife of the vice president, after she snagged her dress during one service. "We dispatched someone to find needle and thread," he said.

During the 1983 memorial service for passengers on a South Korean jetliner shot down by a Soviet missile, Heid was told by the Secret Service that President Ronald Reagan wanted to meet with family members of the victims after the service in one of the cathedral's smaller chapels. But there was a problem: Heid had a flight to catch.

"They asked me, 'Can you get down to Bethlehem Chapel, because the president wants to shake hands with the family members.' I told them I couldn't because I had a plane to catch; my wife was in a wedding in Boston. I remember the agent saying, 'Mike, I don't think that you understand what I said.' "

Heid got the message and missed his flight. His wife would have to wait.

"The ushers who join this organization," he said, "have to be ready to serve seven days a week from early morning to late at night."