Immaculate Conception - Kaskaskia Island

Nearly 2 years ago, Mark from Rome of the West took me to Kaskaskia Island and showed me Immaculate Conception.  The parish dates from 1675 and was founded by Father Marquette.  Kaskaskia Island isn't really an Island anymore.  It is on the west side of the Mississippi River.  It looks like it should be part of Missouri but it is actually part of Illinois.  Blame the Mississippi Floods, especially the Flood of 1881.  The current church building is from 1843.  After 2 floods, it was decided to move the church to its current location.  Instead of just building a new church from scratch, they rebuilt the new church using everything from the old.  The bell tower used to be in the center at the old location but is on the side.  During the Flood of 1993, flood water reached the top of the choir loft rail, 15 feet high maybe?

Immaculate Conception is only open for Mass on Saturdays at 3:30 pm and from 1-4 pm on Sundays.  If there's flooding, good luck getting there.  The nice parishoner there told me how to get there when there was minimal flooding involving levees and such but she lost me at turn off the paved road.  She was really nice and told me lots of stories about the parish and the priests and about things I shouldn't repeat but suspected.  It's really awesome when you meet someone who has been in a parish forever and whose family has been in a parish forever.  There is a great deal of oral history and stories that can't be found anywhere else.  She was telling me how the priest said to burn the Stations but someone stored them anyway.  How one of the priests was a woodworker and did a great deal of the wood working but then left the priesthood, got married and had 3 kids but still helped out.

Let's see what else...the altar stone came from Father Marquette.  The bells are named St. Joseph and St. Louis.  Oh!  The painting above the altar is from the early 1700s.  From 1750 to 1980 it was missing, aka hidden in a safe place by the Jesuits.  It was found at the St. Stanislaus Jesuit Museum and eventually returned.

It's a beautiful church and has been restored beautifully.  PS.  They need your money.

Pictures:

Link with some history

Nativity - BVM

On the way to St. James Crosstown I saw a sign that said I was in the town/village/cluster of houses known as Belgique.  I remembered seeing that name in connection with something Catholic.  Imagine my surprise when I saw a Catholic cemetery and what looked to be the front half of a church.  I took pictures for y'all.

Pictures:

Link:
Archdiocesan Archive Record

St. James - Crosstown

Good Evening!  It was such a nice day I thought I'd go for a drive.  A really long drive to Crosstown.  To give you an idea of how far south I was, I passed the Mississippi River Bridge at Chester IL.

St. James in Crosstown is in another blink and you missed it town.  The parish is staffed by Vincentians  and is more of a mission than an actual parish.  Because of the shortage of priests (but not parishes) the Mass times of the parishes in the area are in flux.  According to the Archdiocese's website, Mass is at 9 am on Sunday.  As I was waiting for Mass to start, a kind elderly gentleman walked across and told me Mass was now at 9:30 am.  As I was waiting, eventually two Vincentian brothers came and said Mass starts at 10 am.

St. James is a tiny church.  The people were nice.  There were donuts!

Music was a capella.
Opening:  Your Hands, O Lord, In Days of Old
Mass Setting:  Mass of Renewal
Offertory:  Like a Child Rests
Communion:  Gift of Finest Wheat
Closing:  Praise to the Lord

Mini Homily:  I must not have bathed.  I'll bathe next week and this side of the Church can sit closer.  We shun people that are poor or have a disability or don't look right.  We want to get close to those that are rich or look right.  We don't look at character.

Father used Penitential Rite A and used the Greek!

Homily:  I was a seminarian taking my comps for my Master of Philosophy.  I was on retreat when I got the call that I had passed.  On a retreat you are not supposed to be quiet and not talk.  I was so happy I wanted to share the good news.  If Brother John were to win the lottery and he would be told not to tell anyone it would be really hard.  Don't tell anyone the good news.  Human nature has not changed in 2000 years.  We want to tell.  People couldn't wait to tell the good news.  Sometimes you and I are deaf to God's Word.  We don't pray enough.  We need to pray more.  We need quiet time.  A few minutes of quiet so we can hear the Lord speak to us and hear Him in prayer.  We need to tell people about Jesus.  We don't tell people.  You and I need to tell. (ponders who to tell...all my associates are radical atheists).  People like testimony (I'm suddenly reminded of the Salvation Army song sung by Boy Scouts...).  Now, I don't want to scandalize the people of this parish (oooo) but the bars in New Orleans are open 24-7, so I've heard (eye roll).  I was at a meeting and after a man gave his report he talked about why he was volunteering.  Traffic is very bad in New Orleans.  On the way home, he decided to wait out the traffic in a bar.  He had one drink.  After a couple months, he had 2 drinks.  After a couple more months he had more drinks.  He realized where this was headed and stopped and began to volunteer at the soup kitchen instead.  Father was fascinated by this story.  God touches our hearts.  Invite someone to Church, perhaps someone who doesn't go very often.  Sometimes we talk about people behind their backs and we don't say nice things but rather nasty things.  Instead of saying something nasty, say something nice instead.  To summarize:

• Listen well to God in prayer.  Prayer is to change us, not God.
• Testify to Our Faith
• Random acts of speaking nicely about people behind their backs.

( I really like it when they summarize what the point was!)

Father used one of the Eucharistic Prayers for Various Needs.  There were no bells but hand-holding at the Our Father.  Overall a very nice Mass.

Pictures:

St. James Crosstown

 View From the Back Pew

St. James

Link:

Information from the St. Louis Archdiocese

St. Gianna - Lake St. Louis

Good Evening!

This morning I headed out to one of the newest parishes in the Archdiocese, St. Gianna, which was founded in 2006.

As what I'm guessing is a first church, it's really quite nice. It's square shaped and linear. The windows are from a closed church as they are not the current style and resemble older windows.  I suspect the windows came from St. Philip Neri as that was the only saint window.  There's no choir loft.  The organ was in the front.  Given all the housing construction that is going on around the building, I'm not sure it is going to be big enough in 10 years.

The parishoners were relatively well dressed.  Father had lace on his cuffs and hems.  Bendictine altar arrangement, altar boys in correctly fitting cassocks and surpluses, patens, genuflecting people, bells, ah then Eucharistic Prayer II and hand holding at the Our Father.  I was worried for a moment.

Before Mass there was a Litany of some sort being prayed.

There was a choir to sing the music today.  I only knew 1 hymn today.
Opening:  Faith of Our Fathers
Mass Setting:  Chant Mass in Honor of St. Ralph Sherwin (WHO??...by the date 1581 and name, an English martyr?..ah indeed one of the 40 English Martyrs)
Offertory:  Come Christians Joined to Sing
Communion:  Set Your Hearts on the Higher Gifts, A New Commandment
Closing:  There's a Wideness in God's Mercy

Father's homily was interesting as it is one of the things I've been pondering as I get ready to announce my parish decision.
Moses recognized that God gave Israelites something no other country had previously.  God's Law.  They were God's chosen people governed by law; God's law.  Unlike other countries where the people were subject to the whims of a ruler. The law applied to people and to rulers (unless of course, they made laws that excluded themselves from laws...).  These laws were good and just because it was God's Laws (wonders what God would come up with if he had to do like Affordable Health Care Act...).  These laws (10 Commandments) are written on our hearts.  They have been discovered without Divine Revelation by people.  Moses told the Israelites they would be revered because of it.  God is closest to us.  This is just.  The Teaching of Jesus and the Church is not just to obey a bunch of rules.  The purpose is to lead us to God and the right way to live.  It is the surest path to guide us to Him and heaven.  Pharisees didn't understand the true purpose of the law or they ignored it to suit their needs and wants.  They followed the letter but not the true meaning of the law.  It is for the conversion of hearts.  The Pharisees honored with lips but the heart was from God.  They disregarded God's commandments but clung to human tradition.  The Catholic Church believes both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.  But Jesus denounced tradition.  Remember words have different meaning depending on the context (or the translation, or someone's agenda).  In the Reading from St. Paul, he talks about the tradition being the Doctrine of Faith and in this instance Tradition is good.  There are two ways:  by preaching, which is Sacred Tradition, and by letter, which is Sacred Scripture.  We need both guided under the teaching authority of the Church.  Many people think they don't need Church as Church gets in the way of their relationship with God and Jesus.  They can just read the Bible. They are just spiritual.  The Church doesn't get in the way.  The Church is hierarchical with everyone having a mission and a vocation.  The purpose of the priesthood is to serve the people.  (Uh....uh...) The Pope is called the Servant of Servants of God.  How would you learn if you didn't have the Church (Google and Wikipedia).  People who read the Bible have the tendency to fall into heresy (I knew there was a reason I never read the Bible)  We come to the Bible with preconceived notions.  Sacraments take material things as sacred symbols.  Spiritual and material.  The Jews did not do all those things for cleanliness sake but as a way to get ready for God.  Sins come from within.  That is what defiles us.  It is the heart that is to be converted.  We can be tempted like the Pharisees.  We can fool others and our selves but not God.  Natural moral law is to convert the heart.  Tradition, Scripture and Sacraments are a sure path to reach Him and heaven.

After the petitions, there was a prayer for religious liberty.

Pictures:

St. Gianna

 View From the Back Pew

Relic of St. Gianna

Did you figure out the theme of the windows?

Link:
Website of St. Gianna

Christ the Savior - Brewer

Good Evening All.
I hope you are all staying dry.  Hard to believe in a month this little adventure will be over with!

This morning I headed down to Brewer to attend the 8 am Mass at Christ the Savior.

It's a small Church and it reminded me vaguely of something.  It dawned on me about half way through Mass that it was vaguely similar to the gym at Immaculate Heart of Mary, which used to be the church.

There was a small electric console in the front.  Unfortunately no one was there to play it.
The music:
Opening:  All the Earth
Offertory:  Be Not Afraid
Communion:  silence
Closing:  Alleluia!  Sing to Jesus
The Our Father was sung however.

Homily:
For the past five Sundays we have been hearing from the Gospel of John and the Bread of Life discourse.  We have heard at the beginning Jesus literally feeding the crowd.  Gradually we have been moved to be being fed spiritually.  We are fed in many ways.  Physically, psychologically, emotionally and finally spiritually.  We need these ways to nourish and grow.  This week the discourse ends and we go back to the Gospel of Mark.  It has come down to the last straw.  The disciples are grumbling that this saying is hard.  Last week it was My Flesh is real food and My Blood is real drink and I am the Bread of Life.  Now they are saying this is hard.  The disciples are beginning to question and many left.  We know this in our head, but it is hard to get in our hearts.  Love your enemies, pray for your persecuted.  I know what that means but how do I do that?  Peter asks when do I forgive, seven times and Jesus says seventy times seventy times.  Many sayings challenge you.  Do I really want to do this?  Do I want to pick up my cross and carry it (Sure.  As long as I can do it with ill grace :P )  These are hard things.  I understand them, how do I bring them into my life.  In the First Reading Joshua asks the people who they are going to serve.  As for Joshua, he and his house will serve the Lord.  Jesus turns to the Twelve and asks do you want to leave?  Peter asks "To whom shall we go?" (HEY!  I recognize that...it's Cardinal Dolan's motto thing...)  People who leave the Church do not leave because of Christ, but for other excuses.  As Church, we are human; it is not perfect.  There are hurts within any relationships.  Sayings are hard.  Who can accept them?  (Speaking of hard sayings, notice how nothing was said of the 2nd Reading....)

Father used Eucharistic Prayer II.

Pictures:

Links:
Information from the St. Louis Archdiocese
Picture from Rome of the West

St. Mary Magdalen - Brentwood

Evening!

A friend asked me to help take all his cats for a ride so I headed to 5 pm Mass on Saturday at St. Mary Magdalen in Brentwood.

The Church of St. Mary Magdalen was built in 1944.  The stained glass windows are colored diamonds and very narrow.  It's very dark in the church.

The organ and piano used to provide music were located in the right transcept instead of the loft.
Music:
Opening:  Now As We Gather
Offertory:  For the Beauty of the Earth
Communion:  I Am the Living Bread
Closing:  With One Voice

St. Mary Magdalen has frequent Confession times so being the good little Catholic girl I am, I availed myself to partake in the Sacrament.  Based on what happened in the box, I didn't hold out a lot of hope for Mass.  I was pleasantly surprised however.

There was a Baptism.  YAY for the new member of the Church, Carter Scott!  I find it interesting that every parish does the Rite differently.  In some parishes, the ceremony is held after Mass.  In some parishes the Rite is done in the Mass.  In these cases, sometimes the first part is at the beginning, before Mass starts and sometimes it is all done at once.  What was odd was that the Deacon did the Baptism while the priest just sat there.

Father gave the homily.
Today you will witness the baptism of Carter Scott.  If Carter was a member of an Eastern Rite, such as St. Raymond, he would have receive Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation.  (Uhm actually, he wouldn't.  At St. Raymond he would have been Baptized and Confirmed but he would have still had to wait until age 7 or older to receive the Eucharist.  Eastern Orthodox receive all three at once, but not the Maronite Rite.  I'm not sure about the Byzantine or other Rites.  I know this because my Aunt and her family are Marionite Catholics.)    The Early Church really emphasized frequent Communion.  Infants received Communion first and then the adults. (Uhm, I'm confused, because I was always taught that in the Early Church, they delayed Baptism until the last possible moment, to get all those sins wiped away at once. And I distinctly remember the Church had to implement a rule, the Easter Duty, because people were not receiving Communion frequently.)  In the 11th and 12th century, that changed to the age of reason.  (Sigh...read this, especially page 10).  The point of this story is that we should come to the Eucharist.  God will provide all that we need at the table of plenty (Oh dear.  Now that song is stuck in my head.)  Listen to the theology.  God's grace is given, not earned.  The Sacraments cost you nothing.  It is a free gift.  (Clearly Father hasn't been in a parish where Confirmation has to be earned doing various things...like service hours...)  Why wait until age 7, 10 or 12?  You have a right to be here.

Father used Eucharistic Prayer II and there bells at the Consecration.

A bit of good news!  The associate came out at announcements and said he was starting a House of Discernment for men contemplating the priesthood (wonders about women contemplating religious life, but I digress).  It will be called Kolbe House and will be at Sts. Mary and Joseph!  YAY!  I'm so happy to see that the Church will be in use again!

Pictures:

Links:
Pictures  from Rome of the West
Website of St. Mary Magdalen