Set in stone

When Ralph Snow read about a Ten Commandments monument being removed from the Wyandotte County Courthouse lawn in Kansas City, Kan., six years ago while reading his Columbian magazine, something stirred inside of him.

"It was like something just clicked in my head; 'what are they trying to do to us', " he said. "They're trying to remove God from the pledge of Allegiance of the United States, taking 'In God We Trust' off our dollars and so I thought it's got to stop some place, somebody's got to fight back somehow."

When the monument was moved across the street to a Catholic church, Snow liked the idea and thought it would be a fantastic project for St. Timothy Catholic Church in The Villages. He started working on the project in March to get a monument at St. Timothy's.

"People should have a Ten Commandments," said 80-year-old Snow, a member of the church and the Knights of Columbus St. Timothy's Council No. 10034. "This is what keeps us on a straight and even course. This is what we live by."

Snow was one of nearly 100 people who attended the dedication ceremony for the monument last week at the church.

"This symbol of religious devotion and faith that we've bought here to be blessed expresses our faith in various ways," said Father Robert Fucheck, who blessed the monument. "It serves to remind us of God's word and teaching. It reminds us that God has a word of guidance and blessing for all of us."

The removal of the Ten Commandments from public spaces inspired Project Moses, a nonprofit organization that exists to display prominently God's sacred commandments and raise awareness, understanding and reverence for the commandments among all people, according to the organization's Web site.

John Menghini, a member of Ascension Parish in Overland Park, Kan., came up with the idea as a constructive way to fight back. He talked to many religious leaders from Jewish, Catholic and Protestant faiths and embarked on a plan to erect the monuments depicting the Ten Commandments in either the Jewish, St. Augustine or King James numbering of the Ten Commandments based on the traditions of the places of worships because each version pointed to Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 6, which are the same for all Judeo-Christian faiths.

"The monument is just a reminder we live in a culture that has become more and more secular, and this is a reminder of our Judeo-Christian roots," Fucheck said. "The Ten Commandments from the Old Testament, the Beatitudes from the new, to the teachings of Jesus, these are the things in which our founding fathers used to build this country and these are the things that should guide us along the ways of faith.

"We want to make this as public as possible to offset the secularism of the world around us," he said.

Project Moses' goal is to establish 7,000 Ten Commandment monuments at churches, synagogues, religious schools and private properties nationwide to fund the completion of a $10 million memorial, similar to the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, to the Decalogue in Washington, D.C.

Roger Lauzon, who attended the dedication, said when he heard about the monument he had to go see it.

"It would be nice if it had a light on it," he said. "But it's a good thing to have; at least they can't take that away from you."

"You have to obey the rules, you really do," added Lauzon's wife, Doris. "They're good rules."

Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services donated the $3,500 to pay for the 856-pound monument, which is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, 40 inches wide and 24 inches deep. It is made out of red granite, which is engraved with the Ten Commandments and Matthew 22:37-39 on the front, and the Beatitudes and Matthew 5:3-11 on the back.

Justin Baxley, vice president of operations for Hiers-Baxley, said the church approached the funeral home about being a partial sponsor, but they felt strongly about the project and volunteered to be the only financial sponsor. He said when people look at it, he hopes it reminds them of the rules and regulations that were laid down to Moses to lead his people into Israel.

"The commandments to me are reminders of God's expectation for the way we're to live, but also reminder for his care of us," he said. "In a day and age when we see monuments of faith being taken down around our country, it's refreshing and encouraging to see an organization like St. Timothy's making an open statement of faith by placing the Ten Commandments."

Snow said he's already working with Saint Mark The Evangelist Church in Summerfield to have a monument placed there. He said his goal is to get as many monuments as possible placed in the community.

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Monica Bryant can be reached at 867-4131 or monica.bryant@starbanner.com.