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Students at Holy Spirit Catholic School in Saint Paul received a close-up look and hands on experience of history-making calligraphy this past school year - turkey feathers and all.

Tim Ternes of the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN began the experience this past February with a three day long residency at the school and parish. During that time, Tim shared the amazing and inspirational artwork and story behind The Saint John’s Bible, the first monumental, fully illuminated handwritten Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in almost five hundred years. Students and parishioners of all ages were given the opportunity to learn about the materials, planning, process and theology behind the seven year project. Local scribes and artists were also included in the three days to give participants live demonstrations of the many processes involved in the making of the book.

The initial residency became the catalyst for a school-wide project that would last until the last day of the school year. Working with parishioners and scribes, Joanne Schulte and Mary Scott, the Holy Spirit students and teachers began to explore and learn about calligraphy. With the support of local calligraphers, Joanne and Mary worked with each class and student in teaching this ancient and beautiful art. The walls of the school were soon filled with all the student names in graceful script and illuminated letters and teachers were commenting on how student homework papers had never looked so elegant. Children could even be seen using sticks to craft large calligraphic letters in the snow banks outside the school windows. Calligraphy had infected the school and would soon be put to use.

With calligraphy skills in tow, the students now began the most challenging of their work. Using The Saint John’s Bible as inspiration, the school began the process of creating its own book of hand-written, fully illuminated sacred texts. Working in small teams, just like the scribal team for The Saint John’s Bible, sacred texts were read, studied and discussed. Each text was imagined visually and soon plans began to take shape. Dividing the work much in the same manner as artists in an ancient scriptorium, students soon found their own special niches. Some became scribes carefully copying the selected texts. Others found themselves illuminators, colorists or proofreaders. Students quickly took pride and ownership in not only the physical work, but in the scripture passages as well. The depth of understanding that each child exhibited as pages and illuminations were explained was impressive and humbling. In the end the working teams created over 100 original inspirational pages which would later come together as their sacred book.

Local book binder, Georgia Greeley offered her services to the project by beautifully binding the finished pages into a large book complete with gilded cover and rich green binding. As students filed past their book for the first time, many could not believe that the magnificent manuscript before them was theirs. Wide eyes and cries of recognition, however, soon proved otherwise.

At the final mass of the school year, the Holy Spirit Book of Sacred Text took its place along side a full-size reproduction of The Saint John’s Bible. Both impressive books gleamed as students and proud parents looked on. It was a humbling moment, however, for The Saint John’s Bible as it soon took second place to its impressive partner on the table. As mass began, the Holy Spirit Book of Sacred Text received its first blessing and incense and then was held high as it led the procession down the isle with The Saint John’s Bible following closely behind. The pride and attention given by the students was evident as the text came down the isle, but it was nothing in comparison to the gleaming faces that came from the congregation as when the sacred Scriptures were proclaimed for the first time from their own text.

With the completion of the Holy Spirit Book of Sacred Text, The Saint John’s Bible project seems to have come full circle. From its inception, it was hoped that the Bible project would serve as in inspiration for others to make the scriptures their own. The students and teachers of Holy Spirit definitely took that hope to heart and made it a reality. One student summed up the project best when he observed, “I won’t ever think about a book in the same way again, and I know I won’t ever forget these amazing stories. I really know them.” What a true gift these students, teachers and parents have given themselves and the world.


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