W. Virginia Church Dedicates Abraham Tapestry

March 15, 2004

Source: West Virginia Gazette

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/Other%20News/200403159

On March 15, 2004 the West Virginia Gazette reported, "Members of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths came together Sunday at Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral to celebrate a story of hospitality common to all three religions. Sacred Heart held a special Mass on Sunday, and invited members of the Jewish and Islamic faiths to dedicate a new tapestry in the church's addition. The four-paneled tapestry depicts Abraham showing hospitality to three mysterious visitors. Abraham's son Isaac was the founder of the Jewish faith, and his son Ishmael was an ancestor of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, according to traditional stories. The Rev. Edward Sadie, Sacred Heart's rector, said he had the idea several years ago to create a tapestry depicting Abraham's story. He had the tapestry designed by a Canadian company, and placed it in Sacred Heart's new addition. Sadie also wanted the tapestry to include the word "hospitality" in Greek, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew. The tapestry makers sent back a sketch with several words for "hospitality" in Arabic and Hebrew, and Sadie said he had to ask Rabbi Victor Urecki of B'Nai Jacob Synagogue and Imam Mohammad Jamal Daoudi of the Islamic Association of West Virginia to choose the appropriate form."