I would give this church one star if I could. My brother passed away unexpectedly, and I was told that the church had space available for a memorial. I called the church, and was directed to a website to fill out a form. Two weeks went by, and I did not receive a reply. I filled out the form again -- no reply. Finally, I called the church yet again, and after 30 minutes of fumbling, the contact told me that the form wasn't working properly. The contact then told me that the priest would call me to discuss. Then next morning, I received a message and an email. The email read, "to be clear, your event will not be held at St. Andrews until speaking to me. At this time, we are hitting pause before moving forward with your request. Give me a call as soon as possible".
The call was even worse. Alyse Viggiano, the priest, was the rudest person I have ever spoken to. She quizzed me on my late brother and his "participation" in the community, and pointedly asked if I had spoken to Wendy at the Arlington Neighborhood Village Association about this. She implied that non-Episcopalians would not be welcome, even though I made it clear that I had no objection to her religious strictures.
Finally, I had had enough. As a black man, I have some experience with these kinds of transactions, and I knew that we would not be welcomed there. Please, do not go this church for succor and comfort after the death of a loved one, especially of you are African-American. read more