Destined for NYC church, sculptor's work on display in Dallas.(The Dallas Morning News)

Byline: Jennifer Arend

DALLAS _ Artist John Collier knows his four memorial sculptures will eventually find a home in New York City, but first he wants the blessings of Texans.

The bronze figures _ part of a Sept. 11, 2001, shrine _ are on display through February at the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas.

Visitors can write their prayers on slips of paper that will then be sealed in the sculptures' bases before they are shipped to the Church of St. Peter, said Collier, 56, of Plano, Texas.

The Catholic church and its St. Joseph's Chapel were heavily damaged during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

"There's so much competition between New York and Texas," Collier said Sunday. "This will be sort of like a peace offering."

Collier's works focus not on the horror of the day, but on the theme of the church's resurrection and of hope. They depict St. Michael the Archangel, patron saint for police; St. Joseph, patron saint for workers; St. ...