4:30 mass, Saturday afternoon, Holy Trinity. I had never even heard of Holy Trinity until I began compiling "The List." Holy Trinity? In Norwood? Huh? Well, the time was right for adventure this week, and so it was that my daughter and I set out to see this mysterious Holy Trinity. Our estimated arrival time was way too early, so we took a quick detour past Xavier University to see how their new and improved campus was coming. Answer? Beautifully. As we made our way back to Montgomery Road, a brief tour of downtown Norwood followed which was - predictably - not quite as beautiful.In truth, I had actually done a bit of research on Holy Trinity before our visit and discovered that the parish is a result of the consolidation of three churches that had previously been in existence in the area. Thus, in spite of its theological connotation, the choice of name, "Holy Trinity," was no coincidence. Located on well-kept grounds, the church itself, next-door neighbor to the Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center, is quite impressive. A cornerstone of "1994" threw me and continues to do so since the physical church was actually built in 1940 as Saints Peter and Paul Church. Nonetheless, I was surprised by what I found - a gem in the middle of Norwood of all places. Who knew?
The interior of the church is striking. The painted dome ceiling above the altar depicts - wait for it - the trinity: God the Father, flanked by angels, Jesus Christ the Son, surrounded by Mary, Joseph and the twelve disciples, and the Eucharist, as what I have to assume represents the Holy Spirit, surrounded by a number of saints. If I had been sitting closer, it would have been fun to see how many saints I could identify. Even from where I sat in the back, however, I easily picked out my girl, Saint Therese. Large draped silver and green flags, set at 45 degree angles, lined the sides of the sanctuary. I wondered if the green flags represented "ordinary time" and if there was a whole series of flags color-coordinated to match the seasons of the church. I hope so.
Things were fairly relaxed throughout, like a group of old friends just getting together for coffee . . . and prayer. It started off with the organist introducing himself and stating that he was filling in for "Alice and Steve" and also asking for the congregation's help as he anticipated struggling his way through mass (note: he did fine). The celebrating priest, another "old friend," began mass by casually asking everyone to acknowledge those around them. He then proceeded to make his way to the back of the church, waving and shaking hands on the way. Cute. He must have been almost 100 years old, so the whole thing really was adorable, including his "Hugh Grant" stammer throughout not only his sermon but in the prayers of the mass as well. I also liked the way he very slowly, carefully, and deliberately put the communion wafer in my hand, looking me in the eye and smiling. Priceless.
Prior to mass, a woman approached my daughter and me and asked if we wanted to carry up the offertory gifts. Ugh. Not only have I never done it, I wasn't about to do it at a church I was unfamiliar with. "Oh," I replied, feigning my best "Oh-shoot-any-other-time-would-have-worked" expression. "I think we'll pass. Thanks." A rather terse expression crossed her face. Clearly, "no" was not the correct answer, but not to worry. A nice middle-aged couple performed the work admirably, she wearing her pink shorts, big white socks, tennies, and, yes, a fanny pack.
Everything at Holy Trinity was lovely, but attending mass there still felt odd. I almost felt like I was intruding. Was this mass by invitation only? Or was this 4:30 mass a well-kept secret, just like the church? Attendance was sparse, and the few who were there were almost exclusively older women. Even the servers were two older women dressed in street clothes. Of course, with my own shock of gray hair, I reluctantly have to admit that I fit right in, but still, something was going on here that I'm just not privy to. I suppose I would go back to Holy Trinity some time. Interestingly enough, it was only an increase of 15 minutes in the length of time it would take us to attend 4:30 mass at St. Ignatius, just one mile down the road. If nothing else, you gotta love their priest.
ATTENDANCE: One-fourth full
DURATION: 50 minutes
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