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It’s not often that I showcase a church that isn’t Catholic, but today, I must make an exception.
The church you see below is the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church founded in 1877.
Now, based off the name and the fact that I’m in Montgomery, Alabama now, you probably are like, “Well, that’s Dr. King’s old church.”
You would be right, but there’s so much more to the story and it’s fascinating.
This weekend we did a very short tour with Valerie, from the Montgomery Visitor Center. Valerie might be one of the most likable people on planet earth.
She started our tour where I’m standing, which as you can see is the start of the road that leads up to the Capitol building.
Where I’m standing is a circle with a fountain in the middle. This is where they used to bring slaves, cattle, and cotton to from the river. In this circle, slaves were bought and sold.
Back in the time of slavery, there was another building right up by the Capitol building where slaves were held. It was a holding pen.
But, in 1877, some members of the black community pooled together $270.00 to purchase the lot. They wanted to build a church and so they did. Can you imagine the significance of building a church of God on a site that once held slaves?
Flash forward to 1955. About 20 feet, on my right, where I’m standing in this picture is where Rosa Parks got on the bus the evening of her arrest. Her refusal to move from her seat is what sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.
The church is where “much of Montgomery’s early civil rights activity was directed by Dr. King from his office in the lower unit of this church.” Many meetings were held here to discuss the bus boycott.
Ultimately, desegregation on the buses happened. I find it a beautiful story of God’s victory. The very spot that once mercilessly held slaves was the place where black people met to peacefully gain their freedom to be treated as equals on the bus system. The fact that it was in a church is significant.
I hope you enjoyed this history lesson, Catholic Pilgrims.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Today, in our reading from Matthew, the Trinity is revealed. At the Baptism of Our Lord, the Father speaks of His love for His Son, The Son gives us the Sacrament of Baptism, and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove letting us know that this action is sanctified. It is holy and pleasing to God. This is why we baptize in the Trinitarian formula and every single time we do the Sign of the Cross it is a beautiful reminder of our baptism and the saving grace we received from it. We must continue to cooperate with those graces throughout our life, but it/was our entrance into the family of God. So many things happen at baptism: You become a child of God and an heir to the Kingdom. Original sin is washed away and any actual sins if above the age of reason. Your soul is permanently marked as belonging to God. Your soul is filled with grace--the Divine life. You receive the three theological gifts of Faith, Hope, and Charity. You receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn't need to be baptized, but He was showing us what He wanted us to do--this was the new covenantal ritual, circumcision would not be needed anymore. Baptism is the start of our Christian life with God, Catholic Pilgrims. Through it, we are brought into the life of the Blessed Trinity. Have a beautiful Sunday.
Continue ReadingMy husband and I were talking to our daughter on the phone the other day and as we were talking, my husband told her about all the different Masses we had been to in one week. We went to our first Latin Mass the Sunday after Christmas. Then, we went to a funeral Mass in San Jose. The day after that, we went to a bilingual Mass at Mission San Juan Baptista--my 12th California Mission. And this past Sunday, we were back at our base chapel with all the familiar faces of our friends that we live with on base. It never ceases to amaze me how good it feels to just walk into a Catholic Church and know that I belong. I don't even have to know anybody. It's always nice when I do know people, but, even when I don't, I feel a great sense of belonging. As the Catholic Pilgrim, I've visited literally hundreds of Catholic Churches in the 16 years since I converted. I've been to Masses where the people spoke French, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish, and Spanish. Latin can now be added to the list. I've been to Mass in enormous cathedrals and in small caves. I've attended Mass outside with over a million Catholics and I attend daily Mass on base where sometimes it's just my son and me. In all of these different circumstances, I sense the universality of the Catholic Church. Even when I'm surrounded by people that don't look like me, I feel such a connection because of our Faith and our one shared Feast at the altar--the Eucharist, which is Jesus Christ. What a blessing to be part of this one, big, universal family, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
Continue ReadingWe all remember how, after Charlie Kirk's death, attendance at church dramatically increased. People who had been away from church for years went back. Folks that had never been decided to walk through church doors and hopefully find answers. I saw many videos of people documenting their "return to church" experiences. It was good to see. Running to Christ is always the right answer, tragedy or not. But, then right after Christmas, I started seeing videos of Protestant pastors talking about how they were giving their congregation "time off to rest" for the Sunday after Christmas. It just kills me how low of a bar we set for Christians sometimes. Not even three months out from a huge tragedy in our country which spurred Christian revival are pastors giving their congregations time off to rest. Because, we can't be asked to go to church too much, I guess? It also kills me that we literally just celebrated the birth of the greatest gift God ever gave us and four days later people need rest from church. To be fair, many were not pleased with this "get out of church for free" pass. In today's reading from Mark, though, we see a crowd hungry for Jesus. They follow Him around to hear His teachings, they don't even leave when it's time to eat, they are willing to go without food just to be near Him. They realize that this time with Jesus is THE most important thing. This should always be our attitude, Catholic Pilgrims. Going to Mass is such a blessing and an honor. True rest comes from being with God, not staying away from Him. Because as St. Augustine famously said, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday. *picture is of Mission San Juan Baptista in CA
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