c. 2007 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Angela Coppola’s idea for a company was born at a chance meeting and a glance at a stained-glass window in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral _ and what she calls “divine guidance.”

Coppola, 64, is the president and creative director of Sacred Silks International, based in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif., about 25 miles north of San Diego.

The company makes silk squares, oblongs, pillows and men’s ties with artful designs from various religions and Christian denominations. The silks can be worn or used for decoration at home, especially for creating a sacred space.

It all started when Coppola had lunch with the Rev. Alan Jones, dean of Grace Cathedral, and his wife, who were looking for ways to make the cathedral’s gift shop more profitable.

Coppola had spent her career in fashion and marketing, starting as a secretary for Revlon, then becoming the corporate creative director for perfume and cosmetics giant Faberge by age 28, and later running her own advertising agency.

A few days after the meeting, Coppola, who lived near Grace Cathedral at the time, walked by one evening and was struck by the beauty of the stained-glass window and thought about reproducing it _ in silk. Once she saw the first sample, she had an even bigger idea.

“The same voice inside said: wow, this would be fabulous to do for every religion in the world and to create a company that sells these,” said Coppola.

She says that voice is God.

“I think it’s divine inspiration,” Coppola said. “I feel this is my calling.”

After launching in 1999 with nine designs, Sacred Silks now features more than 20 different patterns, ranging from the mandala-like Sri Yantra to Judaism’s “fire and water” windows from a San Francisco synagogue to Sir William Richmond’s mosaics in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The latest design, called the “Peace Silk,” incorporates “the golden rule” as expressed in the scriptures of many faiths, from Islam to Shinto to Yoruba.

Getting the details and colors right for each design is time consuming. For example, a design based on a painting of angels by N.C. Wyeth that hangs in Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., was especially challenging. It took many attempts to perfect the silk reproduction.

“We feel that we are dealing with sacred art, and therefore it should be produced in a way that’s really beautiful and with quality,” Coppola said.

Coppola is developing Islamic mosaics from the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul for possible release next year. She says there have been no objections to her reproduction of sacred art, though one Tibetan Buddhist design based on a mandala was canceled after monks expressed fears that people would sit on the silks, which would be disrespectful.

Coppola says she has a vision of expanding the market for her silks worldwide. Her products currently are sold in the U.S., England and Canada through the Web site http://www.sacredsilks.com and often in stores affiliated with religious institutions. The products range in price from $25 to more than $100. Sacred Silks does not release annual revenues as it is privately held. A ten percent royalty goes to the religious institutions from which the art is taken.

Pia Boyd, store manager at Grace Cathedral, said she keeps more than 20 Sacred Silks designs in stock. She said customers like buying them as souvenirs because of their “lovely” design and 100 percent silk material.

“They sell well,” said Boyd. “People all over the world will call me for this, especially Europeans.”

Coppola’s religious background led to her interfaith emphasis. She was brought up Catholic, attending Catholic nursery and elementary school, although her adopted mother is Jewish. She recalls wanting to be a nun when she was younger.

In her 20s, she married a man who produced a yoga show and her religious sensibilities changed. Now she says she meditates and prays daily, in addition to reading scripture or spiritual philosophy, and attends weekly services at the Self-Realization Fellowship, an organization with an emphasis on yoga and meditation that draws on Hinduism and Christianity. When in San Francisco, she attends services at Grace Cathedral, which is Episcopal.

“I believe that everyone’s path to God is honored,” Coppola said. “As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter how you get there.”

“Not only do we hope that our products inspire people to remember that God is everywhere and to be reminded of the divine, but I hope that through the art, the sacred art, people will begin to see similarities in religions,” Coppola said.

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