The Miracle of the Carpenter
by Max Lucado
Loretto Chapel took five years to complete. Modeled after the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, its delicate sanctuary contains an altar, a rose window, and a choir loft.The choir loft is the reason for wonder.Were you to stand in the newly built chapel in 1878, you might see the Sisters of Loretto looking forlornly at the balcony. Everything else was complete: the doors had been hung, the pews had been placed, the floor had been laid. Everything was finished. Even the choir loft. Except for one thing. No stairs.The chapel was too small to accommodate a conventional stairway. The best builders and designers in the region shook their heads when consulted. “Impossible,” they murmured. There simply wasn’t enough room. A ladder would serve the purpose, but mar the ambiance.The Sisters of Loretto, whose determination had led them from Kentucky to Santa Fe, now faced a challenge greater than their journey: a stairway that couldn’t be built.What they had dreamed of and what they could do were separated by fifteen impossible feet.So what did they do? The only thing they could do. They ascended the mountain. Not the high mountains near Santa Fe. No, they climbed even higher. They climbed the same mountain that Jesus climbed 1,800 years earlier in Bethsaida. They climbed the mountain of prayer.As the story goes, the nuns prayed for nine days. On the last day of the novena, a Mexican carpenter with a beard and a wind-burned face appeared at the convent. He explained that he had heard they needed a stairway to a chapel loft. He thought he could help.The mother superior had nothing to lose, so she gave him permission.He went to work with crude tools, painstaking patience, and uncanny skill. For eight months he worked.

Wouldn 't it be a wonderful place to visit? If you are near the area do go to the Chapel.
Been there, Amrita, when I lived in Santa Fe! Also, Las Cruces, down in the southern part of New Mexico, has a mystery associated with its church, San Albino, too! A black man came out of nowhwere to be the bell ringer! Lots of strange things at work!
ReplyDeleteI saw the movie that was made about this staircase. Max did a fine job re-telling it. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this story...what a blessed story to read on the Lord's day...the power of prayer is very awesome indeed...blessings to you dear Amrita....
ReplyDeleteDear Amrita,
ReplyDeleteThis wonderful story is just the right reading for the last days of lent.
I think about the words from the Bible. Jesus told them a parable, so they should pray and never get tired.
Max Lucado is a very good author and those are some great photos.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you and have a great week, Ron
this can now be added to my list of things to see before I die
ReplyDeleteDear DavidMay the Lord grant you your heart 's desire.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's the miracle of prayer. The sisters did not give up. They prayed until their prayers were heard. The answer was a spiral staircase. If we are earnest with our prayers, God will always make a way to answer our fervent prayers. Thanks for the post. God bless you always.
ReplyDeleteAmrita, this is a wonderful post. I had not ever heard of this chapel. And now I will have to find out the movie that Grayquill was referring to. I would love to watch it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this.
Blessings
What a beautiful spiral staircase :)
ReplyDeleteSo encouraging for us who have the 'impossible' hurdles facing us...climb that mountain of prayer..persevere...same message in Spurgeon this morning...thank you, AMrita...beautiful...
ReplyDeleteLove, Sita
I would love to see the movie and visit the chapel too
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ReplyDeleteDear lester, thank you visiting my blog and commenting.
ReplyDeleteMy garden is very humble and nothing by what you have in the US.
A whole lot of accesseries are available here but I can 't afford them, so mother nature has her way (smile).
May God bless your garden.