Enter the Washington National Cathedral from the south side opposite the bishop's garden. "The Way Of Peace" is inscribed over the door. The Bethlehem Chapel is to your right. Turn left down a long hallway. You will pass the Resurrection Chapel and the Center for Silent Prayer. Continue up five steps into the Museum Store and there will be an arched door way on the right at the rear. Pass through and go down five steps and you are deep inside the cathedral, under the nave. Now you are in the museum store stockroom. Down a center aisle, to your left and right are rows and rows of perfect items. But in a dark corner on the right is a stack of shelves with odd and singular pieces. Angels and saints are clustered together here. There is something wrong with everyone of them. Many angels have broken wings; sometimes just the tip, but many have one or even both wings missing. Saints may be without a hand or foot. St. Francis has a hand out to hold a bird but it has flown away. Porcelain figures are gathered in a nativity scene but baby Jesus is gone. A terracotta wiseman from Peru stands next to a llama with a broken leg. A little German angel plays a violin with one arm. Virgin Mary has a deep crack on her side where she holds the infant.
Usually, the broken piece is laying beside the victim.
I found this religious article emergency room while writing copy at the cathedral. All these broken items were supposed to be thrown in the trash but this made the stockroom staff uneasy.
"We can't throw these angels away."
"I won't do it. Put 'em over there."
"Why don't you take them?"
