Sawdust carpet creations shine in Springdale, honoring the Feast of Corpus Christi
A creative and colorful display of Christianity filled up a parking lot in Springdale Township on Sunday: the ritual of “sawdust carpets” at Our Lady of Victory Church.
The Benedict family of Cheswick created their first sawdust carpet this year.
“We’ve intended to do this for so long. We finally made it,” said Meghan Benedict. “It feels really good.”
The Catholic tradition of celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for “body of Christ”) includes creating temporary colorful sawdust images with religious themes that honor the Last Supper.
The tradition originated centuries ago in the Black Forest area of Germany. Back then, the carpets were made with flower petals.
Modern times call for sawdust in a variety of bold colors used to create works of art that are 12 feet by 15 feet.
Our Lady of Victory parishioners filled bags with more than 525 pounds of dyed sawdust Tuesday in preparation for Sunday’s event.
About 20 carpets laid out on the parking lot were photographed, discussed and honored. They were removed at the end of the day after the 4 p.m. church service.
Mother Nature did her part with no rain, but participants endured scorching temps in the 90s under sunny skies. It proved to be ideal conditions for the sawdust creations, which were occasionally sprayed with a light misting of water to keep the sawdust from blowing away.
The Benedict family chose a theme of Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us.” William Benedict, a rising eighth grader at Springdale Jr./Sr. High School, worked with sawdust for the first time.
“The edges are the hardest because you have all the colors trying to meet but you can’t mix the colors,” he said.
It’s the second year the event has been held at Our Lady of Victory Church.
Elaine Walker patiently held a large umbrella over her granddaughter Rachael Babinsack of Harrison, shielding her from the sun’s intense rays.
“The beautiful carpets and the service is so beautiful, that’s my favorite thing,” Walker said.
Alex Scanga of Ben Avon joined numerous family members to make two carpets.
“It’s been a long family tradition since the 1980s,” Scanga said. “It’s fun and a great opportunity for our family to get together, and that’s part of the joy.”
Mary Lynn Scanga, 85, of Fawn enjoys spending the day with her eight children and other relatives as they create carpets.
“This is the big day in the church where we celebrate the Holy Eucharist — the body and blood of Christ — and we really do it for God,” she said.
The festivities began at 8 a.m., and the average time creating a carpet was 2 to 4 hours.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.