Photo by ErikaS66.

Broken finial or not, when you’re the National Cathedral and the President of the United States wants to deliver an address marking the tenth anniversary of one of the worst days in the country’s history at your pulpit, you make it work.

The Cathedral, which has been closed to the public since suffering millions of dollars in damages in last week’s earthquake, will host Barack Obama on the evening of September 11 for the conclusion of the three-day program commemoration of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on Flight 93. Obama will visit all three sites which were attacked during the day on September 11, then make his way to the Cathedral to deliver an address. (Former President George W. Bush delivered remarks inside the Cathedral three days after the attacks in 2001.) It will be the first time the Cathedral will be open since the earthquake, and opera star Denyce Graves, country rocker Alan Jackson, and Patti LaBelle will perform.

A waiting list for entry to the free performance and Obama’s address has started here — the event will also be broadcast on television.