Five swastika-emblazoned discs found near the roof line of St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown St. Cloud will finally be replaced after years of debate and fund raising.<\/p>\n
Tainted by its association with Nazi atrocities, "the symbol itself can never mean what it used to mean in terms of a decorative cross or a German symbol of good luck," the Rev. Steve Binsfeld said.<\/p>\n
St. Cloud-area Catholics and Jews, among others, recently raised the estimated $14,000 to replace the discs on the building’s north and south facades. The work will begin when weather permits with warmer temperatures.<\/p>\n
The cathedral’s plan is to replace the discs with symbols that would portray the "Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary" named by Pope John Paul II a few years ago.<\/p>\n
Marilu Hornstein of St. Joseph celebrates noon Mass at the church on Eighth Avenue South whenever she has the chance, but she didn’t notice the swastikas until recently.<\/p>\n
"I read about it in the St. Cloud Times, and I thought, ‘My goodness! How did I miss it!’" said Hornstein, a lifelong Catholic who attended St. Mary’s grade school as a child.<\/p>\n