St. Frances Cabrini: Savannah

I had the pleasure of visiting the parish of St. Frances Cabrini in Savannah, Ga over this St. Patrick's Day weekend. I liked church the second I entered. Perhaps it was the rainy weather but something about the building was so inviting and nonthreatening. No need to be nervous or intimidated- just open and honest- "come on in", it seemed to say. My friends and I were greeted first by the pastor, Fr. Gabe who was warmly shaking hands, smiling, and ushering parishioners into the sanctuary. After we found our seats I looked around church and noticed several men and women wearing red blazers. Later, a priest friend of mine identified these friendly souls as the ushers. He said the red blazers were a church tradition and (added with a smile) that the blazers were likely thirty years old. The cantor called the congregation together for the opening song only after asking that all visitors identify themselves by standing or raising their hands. We shyly raised our hands and were immediately greeted by people around us. 

St. Francis Cabrini, the parishes namesake, was the youngest of 13 children. Mother Cabrini responded to prophetic word given to her by a superior in which she was told "you are called to establish another Institute that will bring new glory to the Heart of Jesus."  

She was 27 years old when she started that order. I think Frances Cabrini must've been a woman of extraordinary courage. As I prayed in the santuary I felt the warmth and love of a family. I noticed Father Gabe addressing his parishioners as "dear ones," and instantly sensed the love of a father for his children. As those sitting around us warmly greeted us I began to think of the courageous young adult who after watching 12 siblings leave her family home opted to begin a new family in the form of a religious order. You don't become a parish family overnight in the same way that you don't raise 13 children overnight. It takes dedication, courage, patience, faith, and loyalty to make a family. I think Frances Cabrini would feel right at home in this parish. Having had 12 siblings she would know all about the importance of a personal role within a family a trait that the people of this parish understand and take very seriously. 

Most Holy Trinity: Augusta

I was able to visit Most Holy Trinity today. I live in Augusta and have taken this church for granted! It is absolutely exquisite.  Holy Trinity is the oldest surviving Catholic Church building in our diocese. Consecrated in April of 1863, the original parish community actually came together in 1810.  This fledgling community built and outgrew their original church in 29 years and began plans for a church that would be worthy of the great city of Augusta. 

Holy Trinity would have been completed sooner but its construction was complicated not only by the yellow fever epidemic of 1854 but also the Civil War (the Yankees set up a blockade that prevented artist and building supplies from being delivered).  Never the less, this fearless group of Catholics continued on. They housed victims and orphans of the yellow fever epidemic in their rectory and church buildings, and donated their own precious time and skills for the building of this treasure (now that’s stewardship for you!) Can you imagine coming home from work in the summer, in Georgia, and then heading back out to the local construction site?

Beautiful interior 

Dang. That is dedication! Speaking of dedication, this is the word that comes to me as I visited the parish.

I sat in the very back pew of Holy trinity yesterday and as the first reading was proclaimed the verse “through it you are also being saved,” caused me to pause and reflect. Of course St. Paul is referring to the message of the gospel but I couldn’t help but to think about how this actual building has played a role in perhaps thousands of people working out their salvation. It takes dedication to work out your salvation! 
I thought of those brother and sister Catholics in the sweltering summer of 1860 helping to build their church, the

innumerable dollars that have been donated to build and maintain such a treasure, the priest who have come and gone, parishioners learning a very new way of doing things after the second Vatican council, and even segregation and the social unrest of decades past, through all these things Holy trinity has stood with dedicated people for the glory of God. They are fiercely dedicated to the building, dedicated to the priest, dedicated maintain the beauty of the liturgy, and dedicated to working their salvation out with each other. Lots to learn from Holy Trinity!  

Sacred Heart: Warner Robins

Most sacred heart of Jesus, we trust in you!

 Warner Robins has a secret! Actually, it’s highly likely that Warner Robins has lots of secrets and some of them could probably be classified as “top secret,” due to the Robins AFB. But the secret I was so impressed with is a beautiful catholic church by the name of Sacred Heart.  The new church is absolutely breathtaking and although fairly newly built (comparatively speaking) there is a history that follows. While standing outside of the church, our host, Fr. Matthew Erickson, pointed out “the old church,” and the “old old church”.  What a beautiful testament to the growth of our church in middle Georgia!  The “old old church” was built in1945. The “old church” was built in 1962, and the new (current) church was finished in 2007.  I’m told that the first mass here was said over an altar created out of stacked Coke crates and wooden boards. Standing in the sanctuary of the new church with its beautiful stain glass, cool marble, and clean wooden lines, it’s hard to believe those humble beginnings.

One word that can describe this parish is “growth.” I think there is far more to be learned From Sacred Heart but after building three churches, a school, two rectories, and a convent, we can be sure that they know a little something about growth.  

 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." 1 Peter 5:6.

 For me, I've learned from Sacred Heart the beauty of a humble heart, which, with God’s remarkable right hand, grows and transforms Coke crates into imported African marble.

Baptismal font in the sanctuary 

Francis Xavier: Jekyll Island

Quite unexpectedly, I landed upon my first church to visit in our diocese and it was a wonderful experince. I'm not always a huge fan of "signs" from God (I seem to always conclude that God is up in the sky having a good laugh after he sends me a so called "sign"), but I think he may have sent me confirmation that he approves of my little project. My family took a long weekend vacation to Jekyll Island (80 miles south of Savannah) this past weekend and found ourselves in need of a church during our stay. We ended up at a very small church, St. Francis Xavier. Actually, this is no regular catholic church. It's actually a methodist/Lutheran church. It moonlights as a catholic church.

 I immediately noticed something about this parish as I walked in. There was so much white hair! My sister and I being 27 and 31 were somewhat of an anomaly. Later at dinner, my dad said, "it's like being at church with your grandparents." People were so friendly as we sat down and as mass started we were encouraged to meet the people sitting around us. My mom quickly made friends with a kind woman sitting behind us. She quickly encouraged us to turn our cell phones off (apparently there had been quite an ordeal with a cell phone/ priest/ and the consecration the week before).

 It came to me sometime during the offertory.  The word that describes this people is relax. It was after the prayers of the faithful, when father asked us to be seated that I began to feel relaxed. An usher at the front of the church yelled out, "raise your hand if you're planning on receiving communion." My sister seemed to not understand the strange announcement so l leaned over to her and said, "Lyndsey, put your hand up." My sister, looked at me, looked down the pew at my mom and dad, all of us with our hands up, and looked around the small church with everyone else's hands up. She, quite unaffected, put her hand in the air. Later, after communion, the priest asked, "do we have announcements"? As usual when this question is asked, there were several. We had a birthday announcement, an announcement about mass time for next week, and then we (if we happened to be a woman), were encouraged to bring a lilly to mass next week for Easter decorations. Relax. raise your hand for communion for a head count, bring a lilly for Easter, turn your cell phone off (or something funny may happen). Relax.  Of course, mass is always a little different at the beach. Think of all your funny mass experiences- i'll bet at least one of them was at the beach. Was it, perhaps, relaxed?

As I thought and prayed later after mass, I thought of St. John "relaxing" next to Jesus. If someone is relaxed, they are generally, "at peace." Normally, they know who they are and are confident in where they're going. So, from the people at St. Francis Xavier on Jekyll Island, I learn to relax.

The Southern Pilgrimage

I had a thought.  I was sitting between my best friend and my sister on St. Patrick's Day, under St. Patrick’s window at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Savannah, GA, when I suddenly felt inspired. As the deacon was preaching I found myself distracted by the beauty of this old church.

I began to think about the different parishes in our diocese and the priest, people, stories, and history that make them up.  As I looked around Sacred Heart, I wondered what the other churches looked liked. Obviously this church was very different from my, relatively newly built parish, St. Joseph's.  I wanted to see them; All of them. What an adventure!  

 So, right there, On St. Patrick’s day, under St. Patrick's window, I decided to visit all the churches in our diocese. How hard can it be? Well, regardless, It's a project and I love projects. It's my year of faith project. Time to get started on this Southern Pilgrimage.  

**The Diocese of Savannah comprises 90 counties in South Georgia. It covers 37,038 square miles. Catholics number 77,287. There are 55 parishes, with a total of 24 missions and mission stations.** 

St. Patrick's window, Sacred Heart. Savannah, Georgia. 

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