Any place can be a sacred space. Everything is God’s creation – a bird’s nest, a piano bench, a manger, or even a football field.
There is something to be said about intentionally adorning a space. It’s the reason why grandmothers knit quilts for their grandchildren. It’s why we collect tchotchkes to place on our bookshelves and nightstands. And it’s why many communities that acquire a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible create special sacred spaces to house the work of sacred art and Scripture.
To ignite inspiration and show how Heritage Editions are connected across state and international borders, here are just a few examples of the many displays and sacred spaces for Heritage Editions.
If you’ve created a sacred space for your edition of The Saint John’s Bible, we’d love to see it. We invite you to share a photo with us on Instagram, Twitter (X), or Facebook (Meta) @saintjohnsbible to possibly be featured on our page.
Saint John’s Abbey Woodworking Display Stand/Case – Collegeville, Minnesota
At the home of The Saint John’s Bible – Saint John’s University and Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota – Abbey monks handcraft display cases specifically designed to house Heritage and Apostles Editions of The Saint John’s Bible.
These stands use traditional joinery along with the beauty of red oak to create pieces that reflect the artistry and craftsmanship that is The Saint John’s Bible. The seven-drawer cabinet is made of quarter-sawn red oak with Welsh oak and ebony accents, reflections of the Minnesota and Wales collaboration. The sweeping curves of the framework and hexagonal knobs are architectural references to Saint John’s Abbey’s famous Bauhaus church built in 1960 by Marcel Breuer. Leather-lined drawer bottoms have finger recesses to assist in easily removing the volumes.
There are many displays available, including a volume stand, a full storage case and more.
Click here to learn more about Abbey Woodworking.
Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration – Dallas, Texas
Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration’s Heritage Edition volumes live on permanent display in the Church’s Gathering Space. Each volume rests in a beautiful custom-made display case. At the base of the Gospels and Acts volume case lies the entry point to the space’s labyrinth, a meditative path made to facilitate prayer, reflection, and union with God.
“I am confident that these sacred pages will ignite your imagination and inspire your soul,” said The Reverend Casey Shobe, Rector at the Church, when the volumes first arrived in 2022. “The Saint John’s Bible invites us to slow down in order to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Holy Scriptures. It brings to life what the psalmist declares — that God’s Word is ‘more to be desired than gold’ and ‘sweeter than honey, than honey in the comb (19:10)’.”
Read more about how Transfiguration uses its Heritage Edition here.
Cathedral Basilica – Saint Louis, Missouri
Cathedral Basilica acquired a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in 2017. “Due to the generosity of a Cathedral Basilica parishioner, the archdiocese has secured its own Heritage Edition,” said Archbishop Robert J. Carlson to the West End Word, a St. Louis-based publication, when the Cathedral first acquired the volumes. “The seven-volume set of The Saint John’s Bible now becomes part of the rich history of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. It is my hope that this monumental work of faith and art will enrich the faith lives of our community for generations to come.”
First Presbyterian Church of Naples – Naples, Florida
First Presbyterian Church of Naples hosts its Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in a stunning suspended space. The Church uses its Heritage Edition for worship, adult Bible studies, and more.
Carson Newman University – Jefferson, Tennessee
Carson Newman University welcomed its Heritage Edition in 2013. In celebration of the acquisition, the University established The Lynn and Lyndsey Denton Gallery on the main floor of Stephens-Burnett Memorial Library to host the volumes. When the University first welcomed the Heritage Edition, it partnered with other institutions with access to a Heritage Edition across the United States to display the same pages across the country for a period of seven days.
Fish Interfaith Center at Chapman University – Orange, California
Chapman University is home to the largest collection of functional art by marquetry artist William Tunberg. Among the many pieces of Tunberg art on campus are the sculptural showcases that house the sacred texts and objects in the Fish Interfaith Center, including a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible. The University houses six out of seven volumes in the campus library using a storage case produced by Saint John’s Abbey Woodworking, and one volume in a stunning Tunberg display case in the Interfaith Center. It can be viewed alongside texts including a Torah smuggled out of Lithuania during the Holocaust, an illuminated Koran, an original imprint of the Book of Mormon, and a cabinet housing a replica of the Golden Temple of Sikhism.
Click here to read more about the Heritage Edition at Chapman University.
St. Benedict Center – Schuyler, Nebraska
In 2020, the Benedictine community of Christ the King Priory told the Heritage Program that the St. Benedict Center is “an oasis of peace open to visitors of all faiths.”
“The space was natural for the display of the Bible,” said the monks at Christ the King Priory. “We wanted to make sure it was truly sacred while also being hospitable enough so that visitors can linger. Split Rock Studios from St. Paul, Minnesota, developed a great concept for a prayer area, in which real formation through the Word of God can take place. The company exceeded our expectations with the implementation of our vision, with the design, the fabrication and the installation of the exhibit.”
Read more about the Heritage Edition at Christ the King Priory here.
Pepperdine University – Malibu, California
Since Pepperdine acquired a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in 2012, the library has used the Heritage Edition in campus chapel services, academic classes, at local churches, with visiting groups, and at events such as the Bible Lectures and a calligraphy conference, according to the University’s website. One of the seven volumes is on perpetual display at the entrance to Payson Library. The other six volumes are kept in the Special Collections and University Archives department.
Click here to read more about the Heritage Edition at Pepperdine University.
Franciscan Renewal Center (The Casa) – Scottsdale, Arizona
The Franciscan Renewal Center, a spiritual oasis situated at the base of the iconic and beautiful Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona, has spent more than ten years with the Heritage Edition.
“The Heritage Edition has blessed our community by becoming such an important, integrated part of our work here. We’ve held retreats and workshops built around the artwork, and we’ve incorporated it into our liturgy and scripture readings during Holy Days,” said Charles “Charlie” Brown, Executive Director at the Franciscan Renewal Center. “The more you learn about The Saint John’s Bible, the more curious you become. It’s such a fascinating way for us to show and share in the Word of God.”
Click here to read more about the Casa’s use of the Heritage Edition.
Holy Name Catholic Church – Steamboat Springs, CO
Holy Name Catholic Church welcomed a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in 2022. The Church has since collaborated with surrounding Christian and Jewish communities of many kinds to experience the Bible together and share it across faiths and denominations. “This is a stewardship that will accompany our faith community for centuries into our future,” writes the Church’s website.
Epiphany Parish – Seattle, Washington
Epiphany Parish in Seattle, Washington proved that “If you build it, they will come” does not only apply to baseball fields, but also, in this case, to seven Heritage Edition volumes of The Saint John’s Bible. When Epiphany Parish began a one-year program with the Heritage Edition starting in September 2013, the Parish was in the midst of a remarkable campus renovation. Though there was no promise that the Parish would acquire a Heritage Edition once the year of programming was complete, the Parish was hopeful. So, the rector decided to build a space for it in the church’s narthex, just in case. In 2017, three years after programming had been completed, a generous parishioner gifted the Parish the full Heritage Edition set to use as its “family Bible”. The work of sacred art and scripture has since been put to use rigorously — at the crux of scripture readings, Christian education, children’s courses, and several speaker and artist presentations.
Click here to read more about the Heritage Edition at Epiphany Seattle.
Loyola University Maryland – Baltimore, Maryland
The Heritage Edition is on permanent display on the first floor of the library at Loyola University Maryland, where a new page is displayed each week. According to its website, the University “welcomes visits from classes and community groups to learn about and interact with this incredible work that unites ancient Benedictine tradition with modern technology and knowledge.”
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church – Colorado Springs, CO
“When you walk into our church, the first thing you see is all seven volumes greeting you,” said Rev. Matt Holcombe, rector of St. Michael’s. The Church welcomed its Heritage Edition in 2023. In its very first year of housing a Heritage Edition, the Church shared the volumes with 62 groups outside of the Church, including a nearby correctional facility, libraries, museums, nursing homes, artist’s groups, and more. But it also serves to strengthen the existing community at the Church.
“During our annual Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday pancake supper,” added Linda Page, a St. Michael’s docent. “There were a number of people who were guests of our parishioners. As I was getting ready to head out the door, I saw several people standing by the cases where we display all seven volumes. I asked if I could answer any questions for them and it turned into a 20-minute conversation.”
Click here to read more about the Heritage Edition at St. Michael’s.
The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program: Connecting Us All
To read more stories similar to this one, visit theblog andsubscribe to the Heritage Program e-newsletter, Sharing the Word.
To find out how you can gift an edition of The Saint John’s Bible to your community, contact us here.