Originally published at Churchpop
Do you think Saint Joseph built this miraculous staircase?
In 1850, Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy of the Apostolic Vicariate of New Mexico saw a need for Catholic girls’ education in his area, so he sent requests to religious Catholic teaching orders. The Sisters of Loretto responded to this call.
In 1853, the Sisters of Loretto opened a school for girls in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Twenty years later, they hired the same architect as the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
This architect designed the sisters a beautiful, gothic-style chapel, formerly known as the Chapel of Our Lady of Light. It is now the Chapel of Loretto.
(Sadly, the chapel is no longer affiliated with the Catholic Church. It is used as a museum and hosts non-denominational weddings.)
Here’s a photo of the Loretto Chapel:Camerafiend CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
However, the architect died before building access to the choir loft. Due to little space, they concluded that a staircase took too much room, therefore minimizing seating.
The Mysterious Legend Behind Saint Joseph’s Staircase
Legend says the sisters then began a nine-day novena to Saint Joseph the Carpenter. On the ninth day, a mysterious man looking for work arrived on their doorstep with only a donkey, a hammer, and a
