Closer to the Divine

Travel to Japan, where a Shinto devotee undertakes a grueling challenge at a sacred waterfall. A young Muslim helps re-plaster a mosque in Mali. At a New York City cathedral, an Episcopal priest brings people and their pets closer to God.

It's the day of the replastering of the Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali. The rivalry to replaster the central minaret is so fierce, the day begins with a race between the masons to reach the top first. As dawn breaks, the masons get to work. But now they have the rest of the mosque to replaster and they must complete the job before the mud dries out.

It's the morning of the Feast of St. Francis, patron saint of animals. At the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, animals and their handlers are arriving for the grand procession down the cathedral's aisle to be blessed by the Bishop of New York.