Brick by brick: Pennsylvania’s Lego-loving priest and his remarkable hobby

Brick by brick: Pennsylvania’s Lego-loving priest and his remarkable hobby October 30, 2015

From CNS: 

Bob Simon fell in love with two things at the age of 5 — the Catholic Church and building with Lego.

Now, as a 51-year-old priest, Father Simon has discovered a way to merge both of these passions.

The pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Moscow finds that his Lego-building hobby not only provides him with a diversion from his ministry at a busy parish, but that it enriches his prayer life and offers him a tool for evangelization on a large stage.

Father Simon’s 14-by-6-foot self-described “Lego Vatican” is a featured display at the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia as part of its “Vatican Splendors” exhibit, which opened Sept. 19 in time for Pope Francis’ visit to the city and will close Feb. 15.

“It’s a thrill,” he told Catholic News Service at the well-known museum in late October, as he inspected his Lego Vatican and made sure all of the pieces were in place. “Never thought I would have something (I created) in a museum … and certainly never thought that my little Lego project that I did in an empty room in the rectory would attract a lot of attention from a lot of people.”

Read it all. And check out the great video of his work below. Amazing.


Browse Our Archives