The gymnasium at La Sagrada Familia Parish, 7719 Detroit Ave., on Cleveland’s West Side, is filled with 33 colorful, sawdust carpets, known as the Carpets of Holy Week. In Spanish, they are called Alfombras de Semana Santa. The handiwork was done by individuals, families, parish organizations, nonprofits and other groups.
Robert Santiago, a Sagrada parishioner, helps coordinate the project.
(See photo gallery above.)
“My son, Roberto Alejandro Santiago, started it when he was 14 years old for his Eagle Scout project,” Santiago explained. His son will graduate from college in Puerto Rico this year.
Initially, long rows of carpets were created with room for visitors to walk between them as they admired the work. When the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, the project was suspended for a year. They returned on a smaller scale in 2021.
Last year, a few more carpets were added. Santiago said this year, the size of the carpet blocks was reduced because the parish pastor, Father Francisco “Paco” Garnica, CSJ had plans for a section of the room.
In keeping with the national Eucharistic Revival, Santiago said many of this year’s carpet squares have a Eucharistic theme.
There are some new groups participating this year, including Mary Queen of the Apostles Parish in Brook Park. Father Rob Reidy, parochial vicar, was on hand to offer assistance to the volunteers. Father Reidy previously was pastor of Sagrada Familia.
Santiago, chairperson of the diocesan unit of the National Hispanic Charismatic Renewal, said that group is also a first-time participant this year.
Those creating a square submitted a design to the parish and it was enlarged and sketched on a large square of plastic. After Palm Sunday Mass, the gym floor was cleaned and volunteers taped long sheets of plastic to the cement. The squares were numbered and the individual squares then were taped in their assigned order on the long strips of plastic.
A group of volunteers tinted sawdust and sand that was used by the groups to create their carpets. Santiago said volunteers go to a sawmill in Amish country to pick up 15-20 large bags of sawdust for the carpets. The sawdust is divided into large, aluminum trays, moistened and tinted with paint. The volunteers also tint several colors of sand.
Groups creating the carpets select the colors they need and get to work filling in the design. It’s similar to a paint-by-number project, except they use sawdust, sand and flour. Santiago said flour works best for white sections of the carpets.
The final step is adding a brown sawdust border around each carpet square. Then the floor is swept and visitors are invited to view the carpets all day Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
The groups work from Palm Sunday through Wednesday of Holy Week on their creations. They have access to the gym 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Santiago said the carpets are a tradition in some Central American countries and Mexico. The Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Puerto Rico are among the countries where the carpets are popular. Those nationalities are represented at the parish.
“Everyone works in harmony on this project,” Santiago said. “It really is a community and church event event.”
The public is invited to view the Carpets of Holy Week all day Holy Thursday, April 5, and Good Friday April 6.