Daily visitors to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City see a working cathedral where worship, festivals, concerts, art exhibits, and lectures are held - in which homeless and otherwise helpless people are befriended. This unfinished cathedral has a hidden story, one about people. Ancona traveled to a fossil-rich Indiana limestone quarry mill to photograph 11-1/2 ton blocks of stone being cut to be transported across five states to the Cathedral. He found the chief masonry draftsman using a computer to produce templates. He talked to carvers in the stone-yard and on scaffolds. Ancona's images and interviews reveal the diverse cultural and national backgrounds of the individuals who take pride in making a cathedral during this century and the next. Color photos show the high tech work, hard labor and artistry involved in creating a classic structure in contemporary times. A marvelous companion to materials about the Middle Ages. (Ages 8-12)

Follows the building of stonework for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine from the quarrying of the limestone to the creation of the carvings.