Chapel of the Holy Cross voted top ‘Wonder’

By J.D. Long-García, The Catholic Sun
July 19, 2007

SEDONA — Built on the red rocks, the Chapel of the Holy Cross draws between 30-60 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.

More than 50 came to pray during the July 9 service — some from Illinois, Maryland and even Canada — two days after a statewide vote named the chapel the top “Wonder of Arizona.”

“People who come aren’t all Catholic,” said Betty McGinnis, who leads the music during the prayer service and is the parish administrator at St. John Vianney.

Visitors to azcentral.com voted on the “7 Wonders of Arizona” over the last few months. In the last week of June, the Chapel of the Holy Cross cracked the top seven.

“You can just sit there and let things happen around you or you can be a catalyst,” said Fr. J.C. Ortiz, pastor of St. John Vianney.

Fr. Ortiz chose to be a catalyst. He sent out an e-mail to parishioners and from there the word spread about the vote. Within days the chapel moved from sixth place to first.

The chapel garnered 2,064 votes, according to the Web site, some 500 votes more than the second place wonder, the Canyon de Chelly ruins in northern Arizona. Mission San Xavier del Bac in Tucson missed the top seven by 19 votes, edged out by University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

Fr. Ortiz said it was more than good networking that led to the Sedona chapel’s recognition.

“The chapel is a beloved place for lots of people,” he said. “We just made it known that this voting was taking place. People loved it already.”