The year is 1852. The road is dusty and the journey was as rough as the dirt road they traveled on. A group of seven nuns of the Order of The Little Society of the Friends of Mary Under the Cross of Jesus traveled from Kentucky to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Their Mission? To start a school for children in a remote area where the educational needs of children were not being met.
Now that the stage is set – Hello and welcome to All Things Odd and Strange! I’m Lu, your host of All Things Odd and Strange where we explore the odd in a slightly strange way.
Now that we’ve arrived in New Mexico, let our story begin. Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy was the first appointed Bishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He realized that a school would be necessary to service the educational needs of the children in the area. He was busy, at the time, building the Cathedral of Santa Fe. Since he had an architect and builders at his disposal, he thought of using them to build the chapel at the Loretto Convent.
In 1878, an unfortunate event took place. The architect died, leaving the chapel unfinished. Well, most of it was complete but there was no way to get from the main floor to the choir loft, and he left no instructions on how to build a stairway in this very tight and narrow area. You see, if they built the stairs like as is custom, they would lose about 1/3 of there pew space in an already small chapel. The sisters contacted several workmen on their situation, however, all of them said it would be impossible to construct a staircase without losing the precious space.
This situation went on for a few years. It is now 1880. By this time the sisters were out of options and began a novena to St. Joseph. A novena is a prayer said for nine days asking for the Saint (very holy person) to pray with them to Jesus. It’s like asking a friend or prayer group to pray for and with you during some difficulty. As the Jesus said Himself, “Where two or three are gathered in prayer, there I am in their midst.”
At the end of the novena, the sisters were going about their daily duties when they heard a knock on the door. One of the sisters opened it only to see standing there an older man, a donkey and a bag of woodworking tools. The man had an affable countenance and a calm demeanor. He was there to help. The sisters were overjoyed. The man had but one request, that he work undisturbed and no one should enter the chapel while he was working. The sisters agreed.
So, the work began. Day after day the man showed up like clockwork and left as quietly as he arrived. The workspace was always left tidy. The sisters didn’t speak with him other than Mother offering him some water before he went into the chapel. The sisters were not ones for small talk. Matter of fact, they didn’t even know his name and he never mentioned it. This went on for 6 months until one day, the man left without anyone noticing. The stairs were complete. The sisters inquired as to his whereabouts, even going to the lumber yard to pay for the lumber he used. The manager at the lumber yard said they had no record of purchase from such a gentleman and their inventory remained undisturbed. The carpenter and his donkey simply vanished. Even to this very day, you can ask the sisters at the Loretto Convent who was that carpenter who showed up when they needed help, and they will answer with moral certitude – St. Joseph.
If that were then of the story, you wouldn’t be hearing it from me. In my opinion, this is where the story starts getting interesting. You see, this was no ordinary staircase – noooo. Come to find out, the construction of this staircase leaves all carpenters and builders scratching their heads. The construction of this staircase in the form of a double helix without any center support. There are no nails or screws used, just wooden pegs and has two 360 degree turns within a rise of only 20 feet. The number of steps? Thirty-three. Same as the reported age of Jesus’ lifespan. Oh! And that’s not all. The wood it was made out of doesn’t exist. It is of the spruce family, but the species of spruce, get this,-- is unknown.
Well, my friends, I leave this story with you to further research for yourself. All I know is I find this account a bit odd and strange. How about you? Until next time, I’ll see you – on the flip side!
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