The second weekend of September my 52 Masses adventure took me to Western New York, where I attended Mass at St. Joseph University Parish, on the campus of the University of Buffalo. It was a beautiful old parish, right there on Main Street in the Queen City of the Lakes (a name I didn’t know until watching the news in the rectory with Father Jack).
It was a special weekend at the parish there (and elsewhere), as the parishioners of St. Joseph honored the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. In addition to a few photos from the church, I’m linking to a video of a bagpiper brought in to commemorate the event.
The gentleman led the procession in with Amazing Grace, then led it out with this powerful performance of Highland Cathedral. It was a fitting tribute, and we should all continue to pray for those lost in that senseless attack.
Over the first week of September, I drove east to spend the weekend in Bear, Delaware with the good folks of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish and Father Roger DiBuo. And the parish unnecessarily rolled out all the stops for my visit.
On Friday night, Father Roger and I went out to dinner in the spectacular colonial town of New Castle. And after the vigil Mass, Father and I enjoyed a wonderful meal with the parish’s digital specialist and his fiancée. I was even invited to speak at all of the Masses, though I don’t know if my appearance at the Vigil Mass really counted as such since I had the dual blunder of speaking both too fast and not close enough to the microphone, so virtually no one understood a word I said.
After two Sundays at home, I’ll be back on the road for a lengthy trip coming up, with a drive out west with multiple Mass visits along the way.
I’ll try to post an update from the road, but that will depend on my internet connection and my energy levels, not necessarily in that order. Have a blessed week.
I’m going to double back a few weeks now, to my final visit in my recent southern swing, a trip that reminded me that it isn’t just COVID that can derail one’s best laid plans.
It was a Friday afternoon and I was buzzing into Baton Rouge, La., for a full weekend of activities in one of the most Catholic areas of the country. I had a concert, an art show, a Magnificat breakfast all on tap before hitting the French Quarter for Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe, International Shrine of St. Jude. Just then, I got a phone call from Father Tony, who informed me it wasn’t likely the church would be conducting Mass on Sunday due to the hurricane bearing down on New Orleans, a storm I knew nothing about.
Being a Northerner unfamiliar with these tropical storms, I hightailed it out of the Bayou for higher and drier ground. Not wanting to waste a perfectly good weekend in the south, I headed north to Mississippi, intent on pushing ahead my visit to Holy Child of Jesus in Canton and its sister parish, Sacred Heart in Camden. Holy Child is the home church of the late Sister Thea Bowman, for whom a canonization effort has already begun.
Despite my unannounced visit to the Parishes of Madison County, it was a wonderful weekend, kicked off by an afternoon with Sister Dorothy Kundlinger, who traveled with and cared for Sister Thea in the last years of the Sister Thea’s life, and was greeted warmly by the small but lively parishes of Sacred Heart and Holy Child, where the inspiring nun is still very present.
I have included a few photos from both parishes. As a bonus below you can find a link to part of Sister Thea’s remarks to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1989, when she spurred those older gentleman to stand up, hold hands and sing We Shall Overcome, a testament to her courage and commitment in her pursuit of the faith. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10155295083282285
The DIY cross outside Sacred HeartThe colorful altar acknowledging the parish’s African roots.
The parishioners of Holy Child of Jesus.
Father Guy Wilson delivers his homily behind a painting of Sister Thea Bowman.
During my recent visit to St. Joseph University Parish in Buffalo, I was invited to sit down with Claire Rung of the parish staff to talk about the book. The finished product is available at You Tube. I have to hand it to Claire. She did a remarkable job making me sound much more polished and confident than I felt.
One of the really neat aspects of the pilgrimage I’ve undertaken is to encounter things truly new to me. My visit to Atlanta in late August was just such an experience. For the first time, though not the last, I experienced the Liturgy in a parish outside the Roman Catholic tradition.
St. John Chrysostom is part of the Melkite Church, an Eastern church with roots in Greece, Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East that is in communion with the Holy See. I was invited by Father John to the parish, where I enjoyed Orthos (the prayer service) and Divine Liturgy, followed by lunch and the opportunity to meet many of the parishioners.
It was an enlightening experience, one that serves as a reminder of the breadth and diversity of our Catholic faith.
For the architectural buffs among my readers, it’s worth noting that the church building was once the mansion of Coca Cola Company Founder Asa Candler. I’d say now it’s closer to the Real Thing.
The church is located in the Druid Hills section of Atlanta. There’s no mistaking the Middle Eastern style.In the Byzantine Church, they don’t use statues, only iconography.
52 Masses 