Cosmic Mass at the International Parliament of the World’s Religions

Mary Plaster tells her story of the display of her giant puppets at the Parliament of World Religions and at the Cosmic Mass at the event, led by Matthew Fox.

It was my recent pleasure to join the Cosmic Mass (TCM) team with my friend, postmodern theologian, and author, Matthew Fox, at the international Parliament of the World’s Religions (PoWR) in Chicago, Illinois, USA, August 14-18 2023. (For a history of the PoWR organization and event see https://parliamentofreligions.org/, for TCM see https://www.matthewfox.org/cosmic-mass.) My artwork was also at the Toronto (2018) and Salt Lake City (2015) PoWR events (see https://www.facebook.com/MaryPlasterArt). As a spiritually-based visual artist, I have provided giant props (mostly larger-than-life puppets) for 17 TCMs since 2005, beginning when I was a D. Min. student at the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California. I live in Duluth, Minnesota, at the tip of the Great Lake Superior, and so this trip involved an eight-hour drive in a cargo van with an assistant to bring fifteen entities and corresponding stands from my colourful arsenal to the gorgeous but gigantic McCormick Place conference centre overlooking Great Lake Michigan.

Little did I know that the adventure had just begun once arriving in the pouring rain on Monday! Being the first in-person PoWR since the pandemic combined with stringent security measures resulted in additional days of running and sleuthing to gain necessary permits, dock access, and carts to unload one Moon, four Elements, and nine wildlife lanterns just in time for the Cosmic Mass by Wednesday evening! Unfortunately, my giant monarch butterfly did not sail due to these severe time and logistics limitations.

I’m happy to share some casual snaps here of my overall impressions of PoWR and TCM itself, which was attended by over 500 people. I wish I could have seen more of the fabulous overall conference and other presenters, which numbered over 7,000 people. Spiritual author/USA presidential candidate for 2024, Marianne Williamson, was seen taking selfie snaps with the puppets!

Via Creativa celebrating the Eucharist amongst the glowing wildlife

Fire/Sun with spiral galaxy projection

Shadows of the wildlife procession

Stars on the ceiling

Thursday TCM Panel Discussion: Ellen Kennedy (dance), Mary Plaster (puppets), Skylar Wilson (producer), Matthew Fox, Meshi Chavez and Michelle Jordan (voice)