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Click to view largerResources: World Day of Prayer Artwork for 2011
Artwork 2011
In the rural Chilean village of Copiulemu near Concepcion, young women are taught embroidery as a way to remember their ancestors and carry on the traditions of the past. Rosmarie Prim, originally from Germany, founded the Artisan Cooperative of Copiulemu in 1974. The Cooperative focuses on teaching women the arts of embroidery and pottery. It became famous in 1987, when Pope John Paul II celebrated mass before a background tapestry of wool and burlap which had been embroidered by 43 women over the course of two months. The tapestry, like much of the Cooperative's art, integrates aspects of Chilean society with the Gospel.
Today the Artisan Cooperative has fifty members who meet monthly to discuss current projects and new orders, many of which come from abroad. The president's wife, Luisa Duran de la Fuente, also supports them. For photos of the history, embroidery, and ceramics of the Artisan Cooperative of Copiulemu, please visit its blog at http://bordadoras-copiulemu.blogspot.com/.
On request from the WDP Committee of Chile, an embroiderer named Norma Ulloa from Copiulemu enthusiastically created a colourful tapestry to depict the theme of WDP 2011, "How Many Loaves Have You?" The original is made of wool woven on sackcloth. It measures 60 by 40 cm and took over a month to be completed. In the tapestry, we see images from Mark's Gospel presented in the context of rural Chilean life, in a way that honours Christ's presence in our daily lives everywhere.
We encourage you to participate in a service near you. Let us unite and stand together in Christian solidarity with all people, particularly the women and children of Chile, on Friday 4th March 2011. Let us show them the love that our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated to us and commanded us to show others.