In January 2026, we spoke with The Very Rev. Sarah Hurlbert, Dean of the Cathedral of All Souls in Asheville, NC, about recovering from Hurricane Helene with support from the Intervention Fund and planning for the historic congregation’ s future.
What makes the congregation at the Cathedral of All Souls unique?
From the beginning the congregation literally has welcomed“ all souls.” The Vanderbilt family, who built what was then the All Souls Episcopal Church for the village adjacent to the Biltmore House, were part of a new social justice movement in the Gilded Age. Of course in the beginning the congregation drew a lot of wealthier people, but George Vanderbilt ensured that there were also pews reserved for the Italian stonemasons, the African American bricklayers, and so on. So the congregation has always been integrated.
How did the congregation evolve?
In the 1980s All Souls was given the nickname“ All Sorts” because part of our demographic has been the LGBTQ population. The first female deacon in the diocese at that time formed Closer, a Christian LGBTQ ministry, out of the parish. We performed same sex blessings and then weddings. Our Loving Foods ministry supplied food to folks living with HIV. It’ s now expanded to help folks living with lots of different medical conditions. In the early 1990s, the first dean of the Cathedral helped put together a yearly retreat at Kanuga for folks living with HIV. We continue to be a very social justicefocused parish, and we are starting to draw more young adults and families as a result.
Tell me about the history of the building.
Our claim to fame is that the Cathedral was designed by George Vanderbilt’ s architect, Richard Morris Hunt. We are the only church designed by him left in the world!
What happened to the building when Hurricane Helene hit the area in 2024?
The Cathedral is located at the confluence of two rivers, and all of the water coalesced here. We were flooded to an unprecedented level. The basements flooded, and then the water came up through the registers. In our sanctuary the water picked up our oak pews and tossed them around. We had four feet of water in the parish hall and sanctuary, our two most historic buildings. The newer areas— library, kitchen, education wing— were flooded as well, and all the flooring had to be replaced.
How was the congregation impacted?
We are very grateful that we didn’ t have any loss of life within the congregation, but we did have loss of property. Many parishioners had trees fall on their houses. Two parishioners had their houses flooded. We also had to find a temporary place to worship. St. George’ s Episcopal, on the west side of Asheville, has welcomed us, and we have made great relationships there.
How did you hear about Partners for Sacred Places and the Intervention Fund?
I’ ve known of Partners through its reputation, but we also have parishioners who worked in historic preservation and were able to help us find support through Partners.
How has the Intervention Fund supported the building’ s restoration?
Partners provided a $ 100,000 grant for our design phase, when the architects created schematics and designs, which was a huge help. It’ s such an uplift for the congregation
The Very Rev. Sarah Hurlbert
knowing that people across the country care about us and want to support our mission. Hopefully within the next couple months we’ ll start getting proposals from general contractors so we can select one and start the work.
What do you see in the building’ s future?
This kind of event shakes up everything. We’ re taking this as an opportunity to retool what we have been doing for what the modern population needs. While preserving the building’ s beauty, we’ re also modernizing and making it more resilient.
How will All Souls be different?
We’ re working with architects on flood mitigation, enhancing our technology for remote worshippers, and building greater kitchen capacity. Our appliances will switch to gas so even if we lose power the kitchen can still be active and support our ministry. The Cathedral is like a park in the middle of Biltmore Village, and we want to have gathering spaces and internet connection available to neighbors. We plan to add exterior architecture lighting and interior lighting for the stained glass tower. It is our desire that the restored All Souls will stand as a beacon of hope for the community.
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