Browse Items (1 total)
Sort by:
-
Steeple from former Bethany Motherhouse Chapel, crowning a reflective pool in the Bethany Centennial Gardens
Built from 1962 to 1963, the steeple stood atop the Sisters of St. Martha’s Motherhouse Chapel for more than 50 years, sheltering the bell and serving as a hillside symbol of hope. Its construction, paired with a new chapel and wing, marked a period of immense growth in the size of the congregation.
Composed of a steel frame and clad in copper, the steeple is topped with a stainless-steel crucifix. This crucifix was a modern addition, replacing the original gold-leaf cross that was damaged during a storm in 2005.
When the Motherhouse was deconstructed, from 2018 to 2019, the remaining grounds were transformed into the Bethany Centennial Gardens. The steeple was then installed amid the garden. Refurbished, it now surmounts a granite and concrete reflective pool, and rests upon a weathered-steel base, bearing the inscriptions of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Martha’s “CSM” symbol, and a quotation from previous Chapters’ Directional Statements, “standing together in undaunted hope”. Still skimming the hillside, the steeple provides a peaceful place for contemplation and continues to be a visible symbol of the Marthas’ presence and faith.