Week One Hundred and Twenty-Eight - Resurrection (Price Hill)
4:00 Saturday afternoon mass, Resurrection. This week's church visit was something of a milestone for The Tour. For one, I actually made it to mass this weekend, but more so, it completed my visits to all of the Catholic churches in Cincinnati's Saint Lawrence Deanery. For all practical purposes, that means absolutely nothing, but it does give one a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, finishing the Saint Lawrence leg at Resurrection Church in Price Hill was also about as anticlimactic as they come.
Resurrection Church is deceiving. The outside of the church looks quite new, prompting my husband to say just that: "What's this new church doing in the middle of Price Hill?" Well, while we were definitely in the middle of Price Hill (we arrived to find a Cincinnati policeman questioning someone in the church parking lot), there was nothing new about this church, except maybe the brick facade of the building. I still don't get it, and I can't find an explanation anywhere, but the first hint that this wasn't a new church came quickly - at the front doors. They've seen better days . . . and so has the rest of the church. The tiled floor is broken and stained. Paint is peeling. Water damage is evident. Looking up to the balcony after receiving communion, I noticed a large gouge in a wall. Not sure what happened there. Complicating matters, the decor - what little there is - is awkwardly dated. Scuffed wood paneling lines the walls. Lighting resembles . . . drum set high hats. And behind the altar is a floor to ceiling painting of Jesus, staff in hand, wearing a multi-colored caftan . . . to match the multi-colored wall surrounding him. Sigh.
I counted total attendance at no more than 40 individuals, several of whom served in various capacities during the mass - lector, eucharistic minister. Amazingly, I recognized one of those in attendance as a former parishioner of St. Ignatius. Small world. Music was . . . off-key . . . consistently. And the celebrating priest was . . . unique. I'll stop there.
While I like to root for the underdog, I have to wonder why a church like Resurrection is still operating. They even have a parish school, although I can't imagine what the student enrollment is. Saint William and Saint Lawrence are within walking distance of Resurrection, as is Holy Family Church, which lies the same distance on the west side of Glenway Avenue as Resurrection lies on the east side. Hmmm. Is that the issue? Is Glenway Avenue some unknown, unspoken "great divide" in Price Hill that I don't know about?
I think that's the problem - I don't know what's going on at Resurrection. Maybe if I did, my feelings would change, but for now, the whole experience was, to put it bluntly, unnerving, and as much as I hate to say it, I don't plan on returning any time soon. To be honest, I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
ATTENDANCE: Almost non-existent
DURATION: 55 minutes
