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I absolutely love this picture of St. William's in teeny tiny Paoli, Wisconsin for this Tuesday's small town church showcase. Remember back two weeks ago when I showed you the picture of the church from Iowa? Our Lady of Good Counsel in Fonda? Well, I talked about a family vacation I took where we stopped at the Field of Dreams movie set in Iowa. The goal of that family vacation was to get to Wisconsin to the House on the Rock and the Dells. The House on the Rock is something else, I tell you. It's too hard to describe without sounding crazy, so just go see it. "See, there's this huge house with a ginormous carousel in it (yes, in the house), and a street of Yesteryear, and an enormous room with organs hanging from the ceiling." Anyway, southeast of the House on the Rock and not too far away is this church. It was the Germans and Irish (imagine those two groups working together!) that organized this church. Before having a church, families had to celebrate Mass in their homes. The first church was built in 1869, but as time went on, a new church was needed for a growing congregation. Well, that church burnt down in a fire on the day of the 25th anniversary celebration, which is wildly unfortunate. A new church was built and, if I'm reading things right, it's the church that you see in this picture. Because of the small population of the surrounding town, Mass is celebrated at St. Williams's only at 7:30am on Sunday. I haven't been able to find pictures of the inside, but I saw online that the stained-glass windows are really good. It just might be tricky finding a time to come visit other than Mass on Sunday. But, if you are ever in Wisconsin, go visit the House on the Rock and then maybe stop by and see this House of God--St. William's. And maybe find some good cheese to eat. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims. *The address for this church has it in Belleville, Wisconsin, but it sits in Paoli. I'll leave that for the Cheeseheads, excuse me...Wisconsinites to explain.
Continue ReadingSince Easter, I think I've read through the journey to Emmaus story three times now. The second time, something really caught my eye. I'm sure I'm not the first to see this. At the very end of the Gospel reading for today, Luke wrote, "Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread." I realized that these disciples were not at the Last Supper, they would not have heard Jesus say to the Apostles, "This is My Body; This is My Blood." The Apostles hadn't yet gone out and celebrated a Mass, because they had thought Jesus was dead, then they were scared, then they were amazed, but still fearful and probably a bit bewildered, to say the least. Nobody had gone out to the disciples and talked about the Eucharist yet. These disciples did not recognize Jesus until He "took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and give it to them." Then they saw Him. I find this such a fascinating, significant clue that we will find Jesus right when the Priest says, "When supper had ended, He took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to His disciples saying, 'TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.'" You and I were not at the Last Supper, just like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. Like them, we will find Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, at the Consecration when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, ordinary bread is changed into Our Lord. That's where we look for Him. That's where He keeps His promise to always be with us, not just spiritually, but physically in the continual offering of His Body to the Father for our eternal benefit. Have a blessed third Sunday of Easter, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingAbout a month ago when I was in Phoenix, my family went out to eat at a sushi restaurant. Our waitress was a young, college-aged looking woman, very sweet and slightly shy. Right as we were about to leave, I noticed her Miraculous Medal necklace and asked her about it. She touched it and shyly said, "Oh, yes, I'm Catholic." I smiled back and said, "Me, too. Look, I have on a Miraculous Medal ring." That completely broke the ice with her and, in like five seconds, she relaxed, almost as if she was around family. As we got up to go, she even said, "God bless." This is one of the reasons why I love our sacramentals. They allow conversations to happen. When people come into my home, I have lots of sacramentals and they always, always start a conversation. People travel around my house like it's a museum. I love it, because it gives me a chance to talk about our faith. "What's this glass bottle of water?" "It's water from the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized." "Where did you get this statue of Jesus and Mary? It looks old." "I found it in a box at a flea market in Turkey and bought it for like $2.00." Often the religious jewelry I wear catches eyes and people will ask about it. It gives me chance to talk about Jesus, Mary, or one of the Saints. I've never had a bad conversation--only opportunities to plant seeds and share the faith in a way that feels unobtrusive. I find, too, that it helps make a connection with other Catholics, just like the waitress. I'm not one to stand on a street corner with a bullhorn shouting about Jesus. I'll probably never hold signs asking people if they are saved. You won't catch me going door-to-door to evangelize. But, I will use sacramentals to my advantage and allow them to naturally draw people in. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday, Catholic Pilgrims. *Church is St. Mary's in Izmir, Turkey
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