A Symbol of Resilience: The Prayerful Hands of Mary, Queen and Mother

On February 16 and 17 in 1899, a devastating fire raged through a shared block of Market and 13th streets, of what is today known as Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Among the buildings damaged was Saint John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, originally built in April 1832. While attempting to combat the flames, three firemen, William J. Chance, Hugh Duffy, and George W. Steinle were killed as a building wall collapsed on them, and a fourth, James Shea, passed away 2 weeks later from pneumonia contracted while fighting the fire.

Although the inner church was not spared from the ravaging effects of the inferno, the pristine white marble statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary stood tall amidst the charred rubble and remains in the same location over one century later ([Fig. 1]). Saint John's remains a cornerstone of Catholic history not just in Philadelphia, but in the entire United States.[1] The Immaculate Mary is depicted with her hands folded in the sign of prayer[2] draped with a gold-colored rosary ([Fig. 2A]). Despite fires and multiple church renovations, the statue remains virtually unchanged save for two small differences; distal ends of her two small fingers are missing, the cause of which remains unknown ([Fig. 2B]).

Fig. 1 Reproduction of a black-and-white photograph taken days after the fire in February 1899. Note the white statue of the Immaculate Mary in the background to the left.

Fig. 2 (A) Photograph of the full height of the statue as it stands today. (B) Note the missing distal ends of both small fingers.

More than a full century removed from the tragic fire, St. John's now hosts an annual memorial mass honoring those four fallen firemen, as well as those who have since lost their lives in the line of duty ([Figs. 3] [4] [5]). This February in 2017, the church will celebrate its 10th annual Firefighters' Memorial Mass, just 10 days before welcoming the Easter season with Ash Wednesday services. As a symbol of togetherness and resilience, many gather in front of the statue of the Immaculate Mary, with their hands folded like hers in prayer, remembering the city's fallen, heroes.

Fig. 3 Flyer for the 2013 Annual Memorial Mass for Firefighters.

Fig. 4 Photograph of the poster that is displayed at the Annual Memorial Mass for Firefighters with reproduction of the newspaper clipping of those lost in the fire.

Fig. 5 Philadelphia servicemen align in preparation for the procession into the church while the presiding pastor hands out fresh cut roses to those in attendance.

• References

• 1 Warren RA. Displaced ‘Pan-Americans and the Transformation of the Catholic Church in Philadelphia, 1789–1850.”. Miller TG. Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Philadelphia, PA: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania; 2004; 128 (4) 343-366
• 2 Ram AN, Chung KC. Study of hand signs in Judeo-Christian art. J Hand Surg Am 2008; 33 (7) 1182-1188