Legacy of Knotted Grotto will remain in several Philly properties [photos]

One of the last remaining remnants of the papal visit is being dismantled.  More than 150,000 people wrote their intentions on strips of cloth and tied them to a canopy in the Knotted Grotto outside Philadelphia’s Catholic Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.  Pope Francis even stopped by and blessed them.  

Sister Mary Scullion of anti-poverty group Project Home says the installation will be dismantled and used in several of their new construction projects.

“We have a lot at 2415 North Broad Street that is going to be developed into 88 units of permanent housing and in the walls the material the knots were written in is almost indestructible and that material will be the insulation for that building,” she said. “So these knots will keep many people warm for many years to come.”

The wood dome the knots were tied to will also go to another property owned by Project Home on Arch Street.

Scullion says through its Francis Fund the group has raised $1.4 million to help fund anti-poverty work throughout the region.