St. Mary - Paragould

Hello all.
I didn't make it to Mass this weekend because of travel.  However I did stop by the other Eames church in Arkansas - St. Mary in Paragould.  I wish I could have seen the interior, but as most of you know, churches are only unlocked during Mass.

Link:

St. Mary - Paragould

Interior Pictures from the Eames Office

St. Mary - Helena

Evening all!  I'd like to wish all my St. Louis readers a Happy Feast of St. Louis!  I wish I was there to celebrate and go to a mass in French (and to get the plenary indulgence and the ice cream...).

I was in Tunica this weekend, gambling the rent money, and passed through Helena, AR (It's a combined city...Helena West Helena).  I decided to return here for 10 am Mass on Sunday morning.  It's a really nice church for Arkansas and it is the second one with walls the color of my parents' living room.  (I picked that color out and did the painting so I'm real familiar with it.).  I wish I had known the church was designed by Charles Eames (SQUEE!! The Powers of Ten guy!!!!!!).  The windows were done by Emil Frei (I wondered why St. Louis was in the window...).  I got to Mass 5 minutes before it started and like most churches, the lights were off 10 minutes after Mass :(  I'd have taken a picture of the ceiling had a known. (Eames designed a second church in Arkansas.....and I pass it every time I go to St. Louis....very interesting....) Wow.  Who would of thought.  Helena AR was big when cotton was king and is the site of a huge Blues Festival (King Biscuit Blues Fest), as it had a thriving blues community in 1940s & 1950s.  Apparently, besides cotton, the other major industry was rubber.  When the rubber plant closed, the town has faced rough economic times.  It's apparently one of the poorest cities in the nation....(which doesn't surprise me in the least...).

Everyone was dressed rather nice (except me...ooops).  The pastor is going back to the Congo for the next month, so his replacement was introduced this morning.

The music was supplied by an organ (and maybe bells) and a choir in the loft!
Music:
Opening: The Church's One Foundation
Offertory: Only This I Want; Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silent
Communion: You Satisfy the Hungry Heart
Closing: Holy God We Praise Thy Name

Homily:  (For a change, I thought you'd like to see my actual notes, not the cleaned up version.  I had my ipad with me so I took digital notes.)
Word of god challenges us on authority
Symbolized by keys
Shopping for car.. Story of peter with big keys pope kisses statue not true

Prophet Isaiah speaks to man incharge of palace...chief of staff or prime minister
People who have lot of authority
God says will throw out and replace
All symbols will be given to him
Not good news if you threaten those with power...died in a "road accident". How people with big powers behave
Keys are given symbolize of authority
Have responsibility
Not only to those to government
Responsibility in family..
Parents are everything...have power, give displace and security
Difficult without parents when are young
Responsibility when you farm... Teach others..gives authority
It is nothing if not at service
Not priest for self...for others
What is point without congregation
U are good teacher when your students succeed (ugh...education reformy language)
Authority do your best
Peter has authority in faith
Only man god choose. That god reveleaded to him...who the son was and the father
Through peter we know that Jesus is son of god
Who do you say I am...Jesus continues to ask us
What is your answer...determined your commitment
When man and woman together,...what they call each other determines the commitment
If we never say Jesus is god, we don't have right relationship
He's not prophet, he is son of god...we profess this everyday

Father used Eucharistic Prayer III and there were bells at the Consecration.  The Holy Holy and the Lamb of God were sung in Latin and the Our Father was sung.

During the announcements, a note from Bishop Taylor was mentioned and Father further talked about it.  Basically, the Bishop is asking us to pray to stop the Black Mass in Oklahoma.  Father discussed it and talked about spiritual warfare.  Additionally, Father mentioned when Confirmation was this year and if you'd never been Confirmed, it wasn't too late.  (wow...topics I rarely here about at Mass.)

Pictures:  (Sorry...I was rushed..window #1, St. Anne and St. Joachim are all unusable)

Find St. Louis ;)

St. Bernard and St. Dominic

The Transept Windows: Representing 4 Offierings

Windows #2 & #3

 

Windows #4, #5, & #6

Link:
St. Mary - Helena (Click on the link that says Church Architecture...how Charles Eames came up with the design and the windows are described :) )
Helena West Helena (in case you want to go)

St. Mary - St. Vincent

Hello all!  I'm back on track.  Going to Mass.  :) Until next weekend...and the weekend after that..and the weekend after that....(I'm going out of town (Tunica!), will do my bestest.)

This morning I headed to the blink and you missed it town known as St. Vincent.  It's about an hour or so away from Little Rock to the west.

The church was built in 1931, but it looks like the interior has been redone more recently.  I have to say they have the narrowest pews I've sat in for a modern church.  The pews had to be about foot on the part you sit on.  Not comfy in the slightest.  It was pretty plain on the inside, but nice.

Music:  There was an organ and small choir in the front of the church.
Opening:  All Are Welcome
Offertory:  Isaiah 49
Communion:  Come Gather At the Table
Closing:  Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

Homily:
Send her away say the disciple; not one of their finest moments (there are quite a few of these actually...).  The words seem so heartless, have they no compassion?  Jesus seems indifferent to the woman.  He was silent.  Jesus was up to something.  He was waiting to show His cards.  What is their motivation?  The disciples were physically tired...they had been following Jesus around, they were tired of the requests.  They were crabby.  Enough is enough.  We can see that in us.  Additionally, it was very important to know who were in and who were out.  It was unthinkable to acknowledge someone who was out (It's like high school...).  What did Jesus do?  He verbalized the deep seated prejudices at the time.  The woman senses what Jesus is doing.  Jesus is confronting man made barriers and ridiculous grudges.  Jesus did not buy into injustice.  He and the woman were in search of goodness.   He tells the woman that her Faith is great.  The disciples were closed minded, narrow viewed, cold hearted and lacking in Faith.  The woman was open minded, broad viewed and warm hearted and had great Faith (cause she's a woman...and we awesome.)  This is not a window into the past.  The prejudice continues today.  We like to inclusive/exclusive; based on how much they are like us.  We make hurtful distinctions about who is one of us and who is not.  God's love has no boundaries.  All of us have people in our life that need our love, compassion and understanding, but we fail to give it to them.

Father verbalized all the secret prayers and used Eucharistic Prayer III, with bells.

Pictures:

Link:
St. Mary - St. Vincent

St. Mary (Our Lady, Help of Christians) - Altus

Hi-De-Ho!  Hope everyone is having a nice cool Sunday.  It's hot here.  It's humid.  It's awful.  I'm so glad I live when and where AC is available.

Unlike Missouri, Arkansas' grape harvest is starting right about now.  The wineries here don't really celebrate Oktoberfest (the Swiss one does though).  This weekend, the grape growing area had a grape fest.  Free wine tasting.  100 degree heat.  Someone's not feeling all that great.  My co-workers were worried that I would not be in any shape to drive the 2 hours back and I was like I'm going to Mass...I'll be fine by the time it is over.   Yeah.  Except I was not in the best shape for Mass.  My shirt was soaked with sweat.  I'm buzzed.  If you have met me while buzzed, you know that staying quiet is a challenge. So are some other things but I'm good Catholic woman who shouldn't know about such things.

St. Mary overlooks the entire Altus valley.  It's on a hill, up one of the most horrid roads especially considering it is a tourist area.  The name on the cornerstone was Our Lady, Help of Christians.  (I'm really surprised that Churches in wine country aren't named after the patron saint of wine or grapes:  St. Martin of Tours, St. Vincent of Saragossa and St. Amand)

I walked into the Church and nearly cried (It was the wine...honest).  St. Mary's looks like a Catholic Church.  Big fancy high altars and side altars.  Stained glass windows featuring Saints.  Murals on the walls.  The ceiling was decorated as well as the columns and the the archways.  Huge Stations of the Cross.  Old, uncomfortable pews and kneelers.  Painted organ pipes.  It was like I was back in the older churches in St. Louis.  The only thing out of place was the glass confessional.  I kid you not.  Glass --see through walls.  At least they had the decency to hang curtains.  Although I wonder how long that took.

I always forget how much better choirs sound when they are up in the loft.  The music seems to fill the Church without the need for microphones.  Music was accompanied by an organ (with pipes!) and a choir.
Opening:  I Know My Redeemer Lives (apparently there are 2 songs of that title in the book.  The choir sang one and the people the other....)
Mass Setting:  Heritage Mass
Offertory:  Earthen Vessels
Communion:  Shepherd of Souls
Closing:  Lead Me Lord

Mass was said by one of the Benedictines from Subiaco Abbey.  Apparently, the parish has had a hard time getting a full time regular priest.

Homily:
For the last few Sundays, Jesus has been speaking to us in parables.  Today it is the Pearl of Great Price and the Fish.  Parables were very important in ancient times.  It was a way for people to remember the story and the lesson.  We have bad memories now thanks to all the tv and internet in our lives.  (I blame google.)  I'm going to focus on the net collecting fish.  The net collects the fish, both good and bad and then the fishermen keep the good fish and toss the bad (Are you a good fish or a bad fish?).  Fishing was important back then because people didn't eat meat.  (So all those stories about sheep?  what did they do with the sheep???)  The Kingdom of Heaven is like that.  It is a hidden thing that we can't see.  It must be drawn out.  We are called to live and be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven through the Sacraments and by the life we lead.  We must work to pull the good out from the bad.  As we live or try to live the Christian life, we are surrounded by a society that forgets Christian life (and actively tries to destroy it...)  The Angels will separate the good fish from the bad.  We struggle to see this.  We might not see the difference between fish.  (Indeed).  Is it worth the effort?  I try to live a good Christian life yet others are doing better than me.  What use is it?  We are called to do this.  Ponder the 2nd verse from today's Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 119).  We may fall away but as Christians we are called o have this as Your delight.

Father used Eucharistic Prayer III (seems to be a favorite around here) and there were bells.

It was nice Mass.  I even met a doctor from St. Louis.  :)

Pictures:  I know the last couple of churches have been rather, uhm, stark.  This should make up for it nicely.  Some are missing because someone can't take steady shots buzzed.  I'll be going back in the fall for Oktoberfest.

 

 

One of these guys is St. Meinreid.

This is something you rarely see...

St. Raphael!

Link:
St. Mary - Altus

St. Mary's Catholic Church - Memphis TN

Other people go to Memphis to Graceland.  I went and saw churches.

So one of the reasons I have quit going to Mass is that I feel like I don't belong and I don't fit in.  What happened at this church on Sunday really emphasized that feeling.

I'm not from Memphis.  I'm not a parishoner.  I pull up to Church and for some reason don't see the main door.  I do see a bunch of people going in the side door.  No problem.  I'll just follow them.  I end up in a hall of some sort.  I see a deacon (gray shirt with collar...)  I ask him how to find the Church.  He asked me "Why do you want to know where the Church is?"  Uhm.  I'm sorry.  I thought it was pretty obvious.  Mass. (Yes I lied.  What was I supposed to say?  I'm going to take pictures and then snark about it?).  He finally did give me directions but I was floored.  I had heard they were hostile to Catholics in the South but I didn't think they were hostile to Catholics in the Catholic Church...although given some of the comments on blogs and how some parishes interact, perhaps I shouldn't be so floored.  Let's just say that to get me to stay in the Church for Mass would have required the Holy Spirit to come sit on me after that.

The Knights of Columbus were there for First Communion.  One of them was really nice and gave me a quick tour of the Church.

View From the Back Pew

 

Side Altars

That would be St. Louis there on the right.

Hey It's Painted Organ Pipes...

It must be a German thing.

Stained Glass:  I'll give you 3 guess as to what company made the windows but if you are from St. Louis you should only need 1.  They came to Memphis on paddle boats!

God

Pope Pius X

The Prodigal Son...

This was in a cry room so the angle is funky.

Pelican

I don't know who this is.  The Scroll says:

Pot?? Decuit Ergo Facit

Mary at the Temple

Marriage of Mary and Joseph

The Annunciation

Visitation

The Nativity

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

The Wedding at Cana

Palm Sunday

Jesus Meets His Mother

Resurrection

Grotto/Chapel

St Theresa the Little Flower & St. Rita

    

St. Mary Margaret Aloque & St. Joan of Arc

Link:

St. Mary in Memphis, TN