7:30 Sunday evening mass, St. Ignatius. Pressure from the family forced me back to the campsite this week. I've been to this mass a million times, and I still like it. Contemporary, young, casual. It's like the perfect fashion line in a eucharistic celebration.Technically, the first anniversary of this whole church tour thing will be next week, but since I have very little to report about St. Ignatius - same priest, same music, same vapid decor - it seems the perfect opportunity to do a little reflecting on the past 52 weeks.
First, a few statistics for the year: 40 different churches attended, 26 Saturday afternoon/evening masses, 7 Sunday morning masses, 7 Sunday non-morning masses (who's definitely not a morning person?), 27 "Saint" churches (28 if you count St. Monica-St. George as two), 4 "Our Lady" churches, 3 sets of 2 churches with the same name, 1 church with a jumbotron. All of the churches have been in Ohio, but I definitely look forward to expanding across statelines.
My favorite church? It's hard to pick just one. I'm attracted to several of the churches I've been to just by virtue of their aesthetics. They are simply beautiful. Others have a certain intangible "vibe" about them, a positivity that leaves me happy and satisfied. My least favorite? Oh, yes. There have been a few churches that have certainly tried my patience, whether in the physical aspects of the church or the celebration of the mass. A few churches made me question the character of their parishioners. My opinions are no secret. They're all out there in the blog for anyone to read, but to now name those specific churches that fall into my discard pile? Sorry. In this entry, I plead the fifth.
Best part of the tour? Seeing a new church for the first time. Opening the doors to a new church for the first time. Walking into a new church for the first time. It's like opening a present. You just never know what you're going to find. Forrest Gump would reference a box of chocolates. Worst part? Not knowing where to park . . . and trying to snap a quick photo without drawing too many stares, especially the ones from my kids.
Have I learned anything? Well, it's become glaringly evident how very Catholic Cincinnati is. Last August, although I had no doubts about the strong Catholic heritage of Cincinnati, I really had no idea how many Catholic churches there are here. Suffice it to say that I completely underestimated. I love finding churches that I've never heard of, churches that I didn't even know existed. Now, as I extend my list into Northern Kentucky, I again have to admit, I had no idea how many Catholic churches there really are here. This "little" project could go on for quite a while yet.
But have I really learned anything? Uncovered some deep insight, some life-changing epiphany? Umm . . . no. I don't feel any different. My faith and my level of devotion haven't changed. I suppose the only thing that continues to strike me over and over is the universality of the Catholic church. No matter what physical church you're in or what mass you attend, we Catholics pray the same prayers, sing the same songs, and believe the same beliefs. Around the world - THE WORLD - the exact same mass is being celebrated in the exact same way by millions of people. It is an appreciation of that fact that has become more and more evident to me and made me feel like I am a part of something much bigger than I realized, a part of something great.
ATTENDANCE: Comfortably full
DURATION: One hour
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