Sedona chapel chosen top Arizona 'wonder' in online poll

Published: 2007-07-20

SEDONA, Ariz. (CNS) -- Built on the red rocks near Sedona, the Chapel of the Holy Cross draws between 30 and 60 people for Taize prayer every Monday night. The chapel, which St. John Vianney Parish administers, is a popular stop in Arizona's second most popular city for tourists and it was just named the top "Wonder of Arizona" in a statewide vote. When a reporter visited the chapel July 9, two days after the vote, there were more than 50 people -- including visitors from Illinois, Maryland and even Canada -- on hand for the prayer service. "People who come aren't all Catholic," said Betty McGinnis, who leads the music during the service and is parish administrator at St. John Vianney. Visitors to azcentral.com, the Web site of the Arizona Republic daily newspaper, voted on the "7 Wonders of Arizona" over the last few months. Marguerite Brunswig Staude, a devout Catholic woman, designed the small chapel and believed in finding God through the arts. Her original plans were for a cathedral, but after moving to Sedona with her husband in 1941, she modified the design. Construction on the Chapel of the Holy Cross began in 1955.

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