Author: Daniel

One of the bonus treats of my trip is the chance to visit a type of place I’ve never gone before. Winnebago, Nebraska was just such a place.

While I had driven through Indian reservations before, this was my first stop on one. I was there to attend the school Mass at St. Augustine Indian School, one of the many schools for Native Americans founded by Saint Katharine Drexel.

The school serves both the Winnebago and neighboring Omaha tribes, with almost all of the students either children who live on one of the reservations or kids with Native American ancestry. It was an enlightening experience, and I want to thank Deacon Don Blackbird, the school principal and a member of the Omaha Tribe, for his time and hospitality.

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This one was extra special.

The day before I attended Mass at St. John the Baptist in Laughlin, Nevada, I was in Bakersfield, Calif., for two Saturday Masses at Our Lady of Guadalupe. Attending two Masses at the church is not a difficult chore, given the parish conducts 11 Sunday Masses – six in Spanish and five in English – at two separate facilities. This parish community of Mexican Americans is tremendously devout. But it was what the parish is doing in service of the faith that will stick with me, long after my traveling is done.

The parish’s full name is Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Copatroness of the Unborn. And its secondary facility is an outdoor pavilion church that sits adjacent to the Memorial to the Unborn, a site where children who have been lost to miscarriage can forever be remembered.

I spent much of the day Friday and the following Saturday meeting with men and women of the parish, and I couldn’t have been more impressed. I was particularly in awe of three women who are truly doings God’s work serving the families who have been dealt the painful blow of miscarriage, a tragedy for would-be moms that too often gets overlooked by society.

I don’t know if I’ll be more moved by a group of people in the next 30 or so visits than I was by Father Larry and the parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe. But, to be fair, I didn’t know it was possible to meet such inspiring human beings in the first place.

I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that my most unpredictable trip to date would take place in Nevada.

My visit on Oct. 10 took me to Laughlin, Nevada, the southernmost city in the Silver State. And it started out in a typical fashion, with an 8 a.m. Mass at the little church upland from the Colorado River.The next two Masses of the day were not held there, but in Don’s Celebrity Theatre at the Riverside Casino. Yup, it was Mass in a gambling den.

In the 1990s, the community had no Catholic Church, and the nearest facility in the state was 80 miles away, so the community persuaded the Diocese of Las Vegas to grant them a priest to serve its needs. With no building suitable to hold services, the casino opened its theater doors to the parish. And since at any given time there are far more people in the casinos than living in Laughlin, the parish still holds several Masses there each weekend.

But worshiping where Elvis impersonators and ventriloquists normally perform was not even the most unusual part. On Sunday, the parish was holding a dedication ceremony for its new Garces Center, a community building next to the church that is named for Father Francisco Garces.

In 1776, Father Garces became the first Catholic priest to arrive in Nevada, crossing the river to reach Laughlin. Father Garces is also sometimes credited with naming the Colorado River. The center became the first building in Nevada named in his honor, and a canonization effort is possibly under way.

Father Charlie Urnick, pastor at St. John the Baptist and strong supporter of Father Garces’s canonization, invited me to join the other speakers to address the assembled crowd about the book, which I was happy to do. But it was quite the shock when I learned that among the crowd of guests I would be addressing would be the Bishop of Las Vegas, George Leo Thomas, and Steve Sisolak, the governor of Nevada.

The governor departed immediately after my remarks, quite coincidentally I hope, but I did share a few words with the bishop, who was very supportive of my efforts.

Father Charlie at St. John the Baptist in Laughlin.

Father Charlie greets Mass goers just inside Don’s Celebrity Theatre.

Only in Nevada is a poker chip found in the collection box.

A double-dip in the Dakotas took me to Box Elder for a daily Mass at St. Joseph the Worker Parish. This was no ordinary parish community.

St. Joseph the Worker is located at Ellsworth Air Force Base, home of the 28th Bomb Wing and approximately 8,000 active military and civilian personnel, a little less than a quarter of them Catholic. The parish community consists of active duty airmen and airwomen, civilian employees and retired service families who call the area home.

Daily Mass, such as the one I attended, tends to attract more of the retired and civilian personnel, as the active duty parishioners are busy carrying out their duties.The parish is led by Monsignor McManus, who has spent decades as an Air Force chaplain, giving him great insight into the needs of these types of parish communities.

The challenges they face are varied and unique to the military setting, and a strong faith has carried many a service member during trying times, as I learned in most poignant fashion in conversations with the community after Mass.

One of the sites I was most looking forward to visiting on my trip was St. Gianna’s Maternity Home, tucked away in the northeastern corner of North Dakota, not far from the Red River.

Opened in the early 2000s in a one-time school convent and school building, the home is designed to provide a safe, faith-filled home for at-risk mothers. Women of all ages can come to the home before childbirth and remain there with their child or children for up to two years afterward.

Mary Pat Jahner and her staff look to provide safe shelter, food, clothing, education and counseling, addressing the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of women in crisis pregnancies and beyond. Their dedication to their mission, “One Baby, One Mother, One Family” at a Time,” was truly inspiring.

Their work is aided by the Third Order Franciscans of the Mary Immaculate, Father Joseph Christensen and Brother Nicholas, who provide spiritual guidance, and much more, from their home in the friary just across the street.

I want to thank all for welcoming me to their home.