TARENTUM, Pa. -- Plenty of sunshine greeted members of one Catholic parish in Tarentum on Sunday, but there was no time for rest as parishioners painted a parking lot using sawdust.
Slideshow: Parishioners Use Sawdust To Paint For Faith The day started with chalk and a little creativity at Holy Martyrs Parish in Tarentum, where the faithful are creating a labor of love for the Lord called them Corpus Christi Carpets.
"In Germany, they were using different types of colored flowers that didn't quite work out here with this," the Rev. Aaron Kriss said.
Parishioners, mostly families, gathered early on Sunday to stake their claim on the concrete and get to work.
The detail is amazing and the work is time consuming, but not one person seemed to mind.
Mindy Hess' family has made a carpet every year for the past 20 years.
"We're doing a carpet in honor of my niece who had a baby about six hours ago at Magee (Women's Hospital), so we're doing a little hand with a baby ... and her name on the bottom," Hess said.
"This event actually goes back 66 years with the Holy Ghost fathers who were stationed here at the church in Tarentum," Kriss said.
This year, Megan Rossey's family created a giant flag -- in honor of Flag Day -- with special templates to help make the stars.
"It's a lot of work, and it's really fun to spread out the sawdust," said Megan Rossey, a parishioner.
"It's gratifying at the end to see all the results, not just ours, but everybody's," Hess said.
A prayer service followed and a procession from the church ensued to the new carpets. By the evening, they'll all be gone.
"Just for the day, though, just for the Lord for the day," Kriss said.
The tradition of making the carpets is said to date back to pre-Columbian times when priests made carpets out of flowers and feathers and pine needles to give thanks for a favor or a miracle.
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