VIDEO: Behind the Scenes With St. Phoebe

It's been a busy few months for stone carver Sean Callahan as he sculpted a first-century saint from a block of Indiana limestone.

Working with sculptor Chas Fagan, Sean carved a two-foot high sculpture of St. Phoebe, which was given by an anonymous donor.

Phoebe is considered the patron saint of deacons within the Episcopal Church; the carving was commissioned last year, which coincidentally was the 50th anniversary of women’s ordination in the Episcopal Church. According to tradition, she carried St. Paul’s letter to the fledgling Christian church in Rome.

In a recent episode of the Cathedral Crossroads podcast, the two longtime collaborators talked about the sculpting and carving process. One thing that made Phoebe different from most saints is that there are no identifiable symbols associated with her, such as the sword for St. Paul or keys for St. Peter.

Chas chose to carve Phoebe holding a simple scroll to symbolize Paul’s letters, and a cross to denote her faith as an early Christian.

Colin Winterbottom spent some time with Chas and Sean as the sculpture came together, and shows the medieval tools Sean uses to bring Phoebe to life.