[NEWS] A pop-up sculpture of prayers honors the pope
Via the Philadelphia Inquirer:Â
The anonymous messages ranged from the universal - "World Peace! World Peace! World Peace!" - to the deeply personal:
"Prayers for my son having a liver transplant."
"I pray that I will be able to fully accept my son's homosexuality."
And: "Grieving the loss of my dear husband of 37 years."
Knotted ribbons of white cloth bearing prayers and statements of personal struggle rippled in the breeze Thursday outside the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul.
More than 30,000 streamers of hope and faith fluttered during the dedication of the "Knotted Grotto" outside the cathedral. A brief interfaith ceremony included prayers and a song written for the occasion.
Missives waved from fence posts. Fishing nets hung outside the basilica, and cedar staves woven together formed the open dome of the Knotted Grotto sculpture.
The grotto, which has a small pool surrounded by grasses and plants, will serve as a place of reflection and prayer this month during the World Meeting of Families. The sculpture honors Pope Francis.
"We wanted to do something as part of the Mercy and Justice campaign," said Sister Mary Scullion, executive director of Project HOME and cochair of the World Meeting of Families Hunger and Homeless Committee. "We need God's grace to help us loosen our knots, but we also need each other to help us untie the knots."
