Author: Daniel

When I was plotting out my trip, I decided to avoid doing a lot of traveling during the heart of winter. My recent trip out west reminded me why.

As mentioned previously, after attending Mass in Gallup, I found myself stuck there for an extra day when a snowstorm hit North Central New Mexico. And when I tried to wind my way to Colorado the day after, I found the interstate heading into Albuquerque nigh impassable.

Flummoxed, I decided to go south to El Paso, where I was expecting to make a visit later in the year. I figured I could attend Mass on Friday, and then if the mountain roads into Albuquerque were still too rough for my Ford Fiesta, I’d just head east out of El Paso and mosey back home to the Midwest over more Midwestian terrain.

Thus, I found myself at St. Mark in El Paso a few months earlier than anticipated. And, as you can see below, west Texas didn’t escape winter’s wrath either.

I took a break from the metals conference I was attending – skipping out on lunch in accordance with Pope Francis’ request for fasting – to get ashes at Gesù Catholic Church in Miami. Much to my surprise, the Mass was being said by Archbishop Thomas Wenski.

Archbishop Wenski reiterated Pope Francis’ call to pray for the people of Ukraine, both today and throughout the Lenten season. The invasion by Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces is an atrocity, and I pray every available avenue is taken to end the conflict.

Peace be with you as we enter the holiest season on the Christian calendar.

A few days after Phoenix, but for more days than I anticipated, I wound up in Gallup, N.M.

I came to Gallup to worship at Sacred Heart Cathedral, though that wasn’t the story I am writing for the book. My Gallup subject is Villa Guadalupe, the elder care facility run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.

I feel strongly that serving the needs of the elderly poor is one of the highest callings any individual can heed, so my respect for the Little Sisters is immeasurable and my desire to write the story profound. Alas, COVID prevented me from worshiping with them, for obvious reasons, so I was left attending the Feast of the Presentation at the impressive cathedral a half-mile away.

An unexpected (by me, at least) snowstorm kept me in the Western New Mexico town an extra day, and the interstate heading east was still impassable on Thursday, so I adjusted my plans and drove south. By sheer coincidence, I happened to stop to eat my lunch just outside a much smaller Sacred Heart, located in the small town of Quemado. To me, it perfectly fit the New Mexican Catholic Church archetype.

Back on the road. Since many of my friends are currently buried under a mountain of snow, I thought you’d appreciate that the weather in Arizona was warm and mild this weekend. You’re welcome.

Work-related business placed me in the capital city this week, which meant a lot of spare time for visits around the Valley. It started at my parish of choice, Holy Family Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the Eastern church in communion with Rome. The church home is based in Kerala, India, and many of the parishioners at Holy Family, and others around the country, have come to the U.S. from that part of the country. I met more than a dozen parishioners, each friendlier than the next.

Following Mass, I stopped in at the original home of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Scottsdale. Located right in the heart of the city’s trendy arts district, the chapel has been beautifully restored.

Finally, on my way out, I couldn’t pass up visiting the breathtaking Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona. Perched atop one of the area’s many red rock hills, the chapel is a must-see for any traveling Catholic.

Also, if it makes my cold-weather friends feel better, I’m currently stuck in Western New Mexico, victim of the rare winter storm that is blanketing roads that are tricky to traverse even in the most benign times.

The third Sunday of Advent put me in touch with the great people of Yukon, Oklahoma, and St. John Nepomuk.

When I first envisioned how the trip would unfold, I imagined that in addition to my Mass visits, I would also spend time at parishes attending the kind of ancillary activities that so dominated my life when our kids were in Catholic school – CYO games, BINGO, fund-raising dinners, etc. Alas, in many places, these types of events haven’t fully returned since the pandemic.

That’s one of the things that made my trip to Oklahoma so satisfying (there were actually lots of things). Besides attending several Masses at the parish outside Oklahoma City, I got to spend time and engage with people outside the church vestibule, including participating in the Dirty Santa (aka White Elephant aka Yankee Swap) gift exchange at the Knights of Columbus Christmas Party.

I hope to get more opportunities like this in the back half of my experience, which will resume at the end of this month with my second western swing.