.png)
I went to grade school in a very old looking building right in the center of my hometown. If I think about it hard enough, I can actually conjure the smell of that building up in my mind--floor wax, chalk, sunlight on old books, and wood. One year when I was home for Christmas, I asked my mom if she could get us in to look around. It had been at least 34 years since I'd been in there. The last time I had walked the halls, I had been a kid. Since my mom knows everyone in town, she got us in. It smelled exactly like I knew it would. Naturally, everything was smaller than I remembered. As I was walking down the halls stopping by each classroom I had once been in, I thought to myself, "It's so weird to come back to a place you once spent every day in after all this time." I looked in my 3rd grade classroom and it was almost like I could picture little Amy sitting there with her penny loafers on and her new glasses. That room had once been my whole world when I was 8-years old. Take, also, the church that my husband and I were married in. I haven't been in it since the day we walked out as husband and wife. Isn't that weird? I drive past it all the time when I'm home, but I don't go inside. Mostly because it's a Protestant church and I'm Catholic now, so there's really no reason to go in. But, it was in that church that my life with Dustin started. There are lots of places that are so significant to our lives that we will never go into again: Hospitals where we were born, hospitals where our children were born, homes that we grew up in, homes of our grandparents, churches that we attended and schools. Whenever we move for the military, right before we leave our home, I like to sit in the empty, clean house and just think about all the memories made there. All the memories that will just seep into the walls and I wonder if the "ghosts" of our laughter and love somehow linger. I hope it does. Life is a funny thing, isn't it? In the moment, certain places are our whole world and then time marches on and those buildings and towns get replaced by other buildings and towns. And sometimes, you can't go back, you just have to keep moving forward on our pilgrimage through life, which ultimately leads to the place we all long to be--Heaven. Have a good Thursday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingWelcome to our small town church showcase for this week. Here we have Our Lady of Consolation in Vattman, Texas. This church has a very cool story. Vattman is probably the smallest town in our show case and quite possibly the only town named after a Catholic priest. Today, its population is about 160. "So, back in 1907, a land developer, Mr. Theodore Koch, came and purchased a large swath of land and established the town of Riviera. Well, he needed people to come and live on the land, so he approached a Catholic priest, Father Vattman, about finding Catholic families to come and settle on the land. Father Vattman came to look at the area, liked it, and went back home and started encouraging Catholic families to move to the area and purchase land. A German Catholic family came first from Westphalia, Texas in 1908. After that, several other families followed. This church was built in 1916 and was the center of the community. Never a big community, the church is noted for its traditional Thanksgiving dinner where everyone comes to celebrate." Vattman is not far from the east coast of Texas, in fact, it's a straight shot west from Padre Island. Our Lady of Consolation is a small, simple church which sounds like it has been the heart and soul of a community for over 100 years. If ever in south Texas, maybe make time to stop by this church and the area that was built by Catholic families. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday, Catholic Pilgrims. *Information was sourced from About South Texas Facebook Page
Continue ReadingOne time, many years back, a fellow non-Catholic friend of mine made the comment, "All baptized are priests, so there doesn't need to be the distinction between Catholic priests and the baptized." This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the priesthood. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were to "be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for me." Exodus 19:6 But, as we know, while all the people were called to make sacrifice, the Levites (the priestly clan) were the ones to offer those sacrifices to God. That's what priests do--they offer prayers and sacrifice. There was a distinct office just for the ordained priests from the tribe of Levi. There is the same thing today in the Catholic Church. All baptized people are called to be priests, prophets, and kings. What does that mean exactly? All baptized are called to into the common priesthood, not a distinct office, like ordained men who receive Holy Orders. This means that we are to offer prayers and spiritual sacrifices united to Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. As the baptized, we become apart of the Body of Christ. This means that throughout the day, we can pray for others, and offer up our sufferings as a sacrifice for the good of others, participating in Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross for the good of all. Only ordained men with Holy Orders can offer the Sacrifice of the Mass. That is for them alone. We are to assist and participate with our prayers and reception of Jesus in the Eucharist. As prophets, we are called to declare the Gospel--the Good News of Christ. "Baptized individuals are called to witness to the truth of Christ in their daily lives, evangelizing, sharing faith, and adhering to the faith "delivered to the saints." CCC 785 As kings, we are called to be servant rulers. We are to use our talents and influence to bring justice, peace, and God's love to the world, serving God by serving others. We are to lead, in charity, others to Christ.--Catholic Answers. What beautiful roles we are called to, Catholic Pilgrims. May we live each role out well to build up the Kingdom of God. Have a blessed 5th Sunday of Easter.
Continue Reading.png)
.png)
.png)