Loosing My Religion 2018

It's not a New Year's Resolution . . . because I don't really do those, or even think that they're a good idea. But it is a New Year, and I have made a resolution: I'm going to try to go to church every Sunday this year. I'm also going to try to visit as many different churches as possible--though at least one Sunday per month I'll be at St. James with Jacqueline and Joe. I just want to see what there is to see, hear what there is to hear. It's kind of like a spaziergang or a walkabout. But spiritual. -ish. Anyway . . . 

January 7th 
Our Saviour Lutheran



January 14th 
St. James Catholic



January 21st
Highland Methodist



January 27th
St. Agnes Catholic Church



January 28th
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church
I thought about skipping this Sunday since Jacqueline asked to go to St. Agnes Saturday night (to celebrate St. Agnes's birthday) . . . but I decided that Letter of the Law is the best way to go on these resolution-type things, lest there be any opportunity for equivocation further on down the line. And you know what? I was glad that I went. I really liked this church. It was pretty, for one thing. See?

And there were a fair number of people there, too. It's really uncomfortable to be at a church service where there's not enough butter to cover the toast, y'know? And there was an organ that was played several times . . . including on "How Great Thou Art." (And said organ had a really lovely and powerful bass rumble. It made me wish I could bribe the organist into doing a Philip Glass recital.) But the best part of it was the priest. He was a young black guy, and he was good. I'm pretty sure that I'll be going back to this one.

However . . . as I was driving home, I thought, "I would like to visit every Catholic church in Louisville." And that seems like a do-able thing, doesn't it? Let's see. There are 110 churches in the Archdiocese of Louisville, but that includes some that are a far piece off, so if I just stick to Louisville itself, that would leave me with 

Saint Agnes

Saint Albert the Great

Church of the Ascension

Saint Athanasius

Saint Augustine

Saint Bartholomew

Saint Bernadette

Saint Bernard

Saint Boniface

Saint Brigid (9)

Cathedral of the Assumption

Christ the King

Saint Edward

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Epiphany

Saint Frances of Rome

Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Gabriel

Good Shepherd (9)

Guardian Angels

Holy Family

Holy Name

Holy Spirit

Holy Trinity

Saint Ignatius Martyr

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Incarnation

Saint James

Saint John Paul II (5)

Saint John Vianney

Saint Joseph

Saint Lawrence

Saint Leonard

Saint Louis Bertrand

Saint Luke

Saint Margaret Mary

Saint Martha

Saint Martin de Porres

Saint Martin of Tours (7)

Mary Queen of Peace

Saint Michael

Most Blessed Sacrament

Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Mother of Sorrows

Saint Patrick

Saint Paul (6)

Saint Peter the Apostle

Saint Raphael

Saint Rita

Saints Simon and Jude

Saint Stephen Martyr

Saint Teresa of Calcutta

Saint Therese

Saint Thomas More

-----Saint William-----(5)

Looks like 57. Definitely do-able. Heck, I've already been to a bunch of them, but I'll only count 2018 (possibly going into 2019) visits. 

Very exciting! 

Competitive natured person that I am, my next thought was, "I could easily knock out 2 or 3 of these per week if I really wanted to." But that probably isn't how it will go down. We'll see.


February 4th
Epiphany



February 11th
St. James



February 18th
Our Lady of Lourdes (5)
This was a really unpleasant experience. Other than a rather innovative water course--it ran about thirty feet along the back wall, and seemed to include a baptismal area--the church was really boring and looked more like a Protestant church. One of the things I value about Catholicism is the ornateness of the churches, which signals a separation between the material and metaphysical worlds to me--which may be ironic, but hey, that's life. The church was pretty full, but seriously unfriendly, incredibly unenthusiastic, and all around filled with negativity. Definitely not a place I will be returning to. In fact, I wasn't going to write negative things about the churches I visited . . . and even held off on Epiphany, which was almost as bad as Our Lady of Lourdes for me . . . but this church just really pushed me over the top on that one. There's just no excuse for a church to be like this.



February 25th
Saint Martin of Tours (6)
I loved this church. Very ornate, and with a lovely choir, organ, incense, and a sermon that was not boring and which made sense to me. I will be going back to this one, for sure.



March 4th
Saint Louis Bertrand (7)
Another lovely old (150 years +) church. The service wasn't quite as ornate as the St. Martin of Tours one was, but there was still a bit of incense, a platoon of choir boys, and the loveliest singing I've yet heard in a church service. The church was also much brighter than SMoT and seemed wider and safer (no cop on duty) . . . but as much as I liked it, I think SMoT is still my favorite. Not sure that I can say why. Part of it was the floor, I think. The floor here was just a bland tile thing, whereas SMoT was ancient stuff, cracked but still polished. 

March 11th
Saint Margaret Mary (8)
Why are East End Catholic churches so barren . . . and so grumpy and unhappy? 3 out of 3 fit that bill so far.



March 18th
Saint Boniface (9)

Another beautiful old church.

And partway through the service I saw something on the steps tip to the altar which really focused my attention.

Is it possible? Could it be??

The grate-way to an anchorite's cell?

Of course it wasn't. Or at least that's what the nice lady who talked to me after the service said.

Oh well.

At any rate, somewhere in the course of this morning I decided that I wanted a way to "rate" the churches I visited. I'd thought of it before, but didn't like the idea of recording negative observations on a church. But today it occurred to me that I could do this from a more positive angle. Like this.

First, I list the qualities that I particularly like in a church. Which is not meant to suggest anything about the quality of the church per se, just what works best for me.

1. An old building, one with some history--100 years or more.
2. Beautiful interior, including statues, stained glass windows, friezes.
3. An organ which is used during the service.
4. Beautiful singing.
5. Incense.
6. A sermon which I can hear and understand. (Sorry, non-native speakers. But if I can't understand your words, then why am I even trying to listen?)
7. An interesting sermon. Preferably a moving one, too, but I prioritize the intellectual component on this.
8. A warmth in the congregation--at least some sense of being welcomed.
9. Life in the eyes of the congregants.

I think that's about it. So on that "scale," St. Boniface would get 1,2,3,and 8. So I'm going to call it a 4 on my "9 is my Perfect Church" scale.

Now what about the 8 Catholic churches I visited in the previous weeks of 2018? Well, let's just do that right now.

St. James Catholic  1, 2, 3, 4, 6 . . . call it a 5, then.

St. Agnes Catholic Church  1, 2, 3, 6 . . . only a 4. And I'm not absolutely positive about #3, so it might only be a 3.

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church  1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 = 7.

Epiphany 6 . . . oh my. That's a 1 for me.

Our Lady of Lourdes  6. Another 1. Sorry, East End Churches.

Saint Martin of Tours  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. Big number 8 here.

Saint Louis Bertrand  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. And another 8.

Saint Margaret Mary 6. Another 1, another East end church.


Saint Boniface And that brings us back to Saint Boniface's 4.  


And, in a less analytical way, I would definitely say that my three favorite churches that I've visited so far are Saint Martin of Tours, Saint Louis Bertrand, and Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, so it looks like I've chosen my criteria well for what I'm looking for.

March 25th
Saint Joseph (10)  

And yet another beautiful church. I took some pictures.

In fact, this may be the most beautiful church of all. I can't really judge the sermon, since it was Palm Sunday and they did a super long Gospel reading instead of a homily. So I'll have to go back for that. And they had a nice old organ, but it wasn't used, and I don't know if that had something to do with Palm Sunday, either. Oh, and the priest was Hispanic, but easy to understand, so points there. 

1, 2+, 4, 5, 7, 9 . . . I can't really do a proper rating, though. Yep, I'll just have to have another visit. As for the 7, though: it wasn't really a sermon, but the priest came down from the altar area, smacked two nails together, and said, "We carry the nails everyday. When will we crucify Him?" or something like that. So yeah, definitely hit the interesting list.



April 1st, Easter Sunday
Again, Saint Martin of Tours. Cause I wanted The Real Deal for Easter Sunday, so it was either this or St. Louis Bertrand, and hey, St. Louis ain't got this:

Now THAT's a relic! Beautiful, incense filled service. In hindsight I wish I'd gone to the 10:30 service, though, because while the music at the 9:00 was beautiful (organ and two singers, one male, one female), as I was leaving I saw a whole bunch of singers coming in for the 10:30 version. Next time, for sure.

April 8th
Saint Brigid (11)

It was a pretty little church, for sure. Made me think of wedding cake . . . lots of white marble, nice and bright. 

BTW, (1) sorry about the blurriness--my hands aren't steady enough to take clear pictures except by chance--and (2) this picture is actually a collage, and I'm kind of proud of it. So proud that I am now going to show you the man behind the curtain:

Kinda cool, right? 

There were several things I liked about the church. For one, the altar came out a bit, so it wasn't as separate from the congregation as it would be in an old style church, but most of the important stuff was still where it "should" be. Nice blending, I thought. There was also a very impressive choir loft with a huge organ, but unfortunately that area was neither used nor accessible. 

On my personal like scale, it gets 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 = 6. Reference the sermon, though, it ranked way up there with the best I've been witness to. Which is funny, because the priest who gave it is one I've run into before, and to be honest he has not been impressive...and when this sermon started, it seemed very disjointed and boring. But then Father went where few priests have gone before for me: he talked about how it was wrong to deport illegal immigrants, and how that is not what Christ taught us to do. Yowza. That is pretty edge-y. He also used a line which I thought was very good; he said that when you leave the church, "You represent Christ to the people you meet." And he expanded on that a bit, saying that if you acted with mercy, people would associate that with the church. Good stuff.

April 15th

St. Joseph

Had Jacqueline and Joseph this morning, and a unique opportunity: we needed a mass that started earlier than St. James's 11:00, as we were going to see Les Mis at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, which started at 1:00. So I asked Jacqueline if she'd like to go to St. Joseph's to  SEE THE ANGEL! (Simpsons reference, btw.) She happily acceded to that, as did Joe.

I also got Joe to take a picture of the main altar, since my hands are too shaky to take a good picture sometimes.

Whilst taking Jacqueline on a tour (Joe wanted to sit), I noticed this stained glass window. 

Pretty close, don'tchathink?


April 22, 2018
Saint Martha (12)

Well . . . it's not an East End church . . . but it might as well have been. No pretty statues, no intricate altar, no incense, no organ, no joy. This was not a pleasant experience at all, I'm sorry to say. On my personal preference scale, this gets a 1 (because I could understand what the priest said in his sermon). Won't be going back to this one, for sure.

April 29, 2018
King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church

My first non-Catholic church in quite some time. Since January 21st, to be exact, so three months and some change. And you don't get any less Catholic than King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church, let me tell you. On the one hand, I have never been greeted so warmly by some many people. And there were some fascinating aspects to the service: there was a painting of Jesus being baptized up front that was painted by Cassius Clay's father. The minister had been preaching for 57 years--and I got the impression that most of those years had been at King Solomon's. And the congregation was as happy and as energized as it is possible to be without suffering a stroke. On the other hand . . . it just didn't work for me. I admired the energy and passion of the congregants, but it just fit in with my idea of what church is for. And I don't mean anything by that beyond that it didn't work for me. For example, the minister would begin a sentence and then stop, and the congregants would fill in the blank. But it was all very straightforward stuff, like, "God is good, and His . . . . " "MERCY!" "MERcy. And his MERcy endureth forEVER. How long?" "FOREVER!" "Forever. ForEVer." I'm sorry to say, but it made me feel like I was in elementary school. And there was so much screaming. And the sound system was not up to the task, so the screaming translated into a grating sonic eruption every time. It was an experience I don't regret, for sure, but it's not one that I think I'll repeat. Back to the Catholics for me.


May 6, 2018
Saint Rita (13)

Well . . . I'd actually planned on going to Christ the King this morning, but I chickened out. I think I'm still in recovery from King Solomon's Missionary Baptist Church. And I was pretty sure that, bereft of my church-going companions this time out, that I would be the only white person in the audience, and while that is not a bad thing (and I have been in that situation previously), I just wasn't up for it this time. So I went to Saint Rita. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, though. For one thing, since it's a "modern" church, it was pretty Protestant-y looking. One altar, no much in the way of statuary. Although there was a nice little prayer station thing before you went into the church--

And it did have some pretty stained glass windows, though. Here's one of them:

But there were more important things that didn't suit me at all. For one thing, the choir. "Choir." There were two people up front. And not to be mean, but one of them was an old guy with an okay voice, and the other was a woman who was totally off key pretty much all of the time. And to make it worse, Nobody in the congregation sang at all. Nada. Duck egg. I was almost intimidated into not singing, since I was literally (literally literally) the only one other than the "choir," then I got over it and just sang. It's one of my rules: unless I don't know the song / prayer / whatever, I have to participate. I've found  that it makes a big difference. 

But enough. The sermon--delivered by a retired priest who told us that he had his first communion at the age of 6 in the year 1945 (!)--was actually quite good, so points for that . . . 2, which is the total point score on my preference scale. I can't imagine ever returning to this church. 


May 13, 2018

Holy Spirit (14)

Another East End church . . . but big surprise this time out, as I really liked Holy Spirit . . . and it actually met up with many of my Preferred Attributes. 

It didn't have a lot of decorative stuff, but it was really pretty. 

This doesn't really give the impact of it, alas, but it was marble-y with lots of columns all around, and then there was wood cabinet-y stuff all around on the lower level--up to about ten feet. The windows were also nice--not ornate, but pretty. A very modern look, but a classy modern look. It didn't look like anything was missing, you know? 

I was also greeted when I came in, which doesn't happen very often in the Catholic churches I've visited. And there was some use of the organ for music . . . and some trumpet as well. The choir was quite good. There was even some incense! Maybe the best thing, though, was that the people seemed kind of happy to be there. And there were a lot of younger people. So many of the churches I've visited have such old congregants that I am actually on the young side of the group. Oh, and also I don't think I've ever seen so many parents being affectionate to their children. The fact that it was Mother's Day might have been a factor there, but I really don't think that was it. I think these people were just happy to be in church with their kids. 

So . . . no (1), but yes for the rest = 8. 

And oh . . . as I was wandering around before the service, I happened upon a little alcove outside the church (but still inside) where there was a little library of books and dvds. And check this out:

Lord of the Rings? And I also spotted a Stephen Pinker book. Seriously. I think I should probably give them some extra credit for that. I'd put Has a Lending Library as one of my criteria, but I am pretty sure that would work against most of the churches.

May 20, 2018

St. James

May 27, 2018

St. Stephen Martyr (15)

I've been to this church before, but it's been a very long time. This was the church Jo Ann worked as DRE in a long time ago. I think it was her first full time DRE job, as a matter of fact. It was a nice church, but on my preference scale I would only give it points for 6, 7, and 9, so 3 for me. The music was particularly bad. The organist didn't seem to seasoned--she hit a lot of wrong notes, and it was just one of those itty bitty organs, not the real church type thing. And there was no choir, just one person whose voice was somewhere around okay. The congregation did sing a little bit, but there wasn't much life in them. Not a church I plan on returning to, for sure.

June 3, 2018 
Cathedral of the Assumption
I was feeling really awful this morning, but decided to try for church anyway. Got to the Cathedral and fifteen minutes in I was feeling so sick that I thought I was going to throw up, and since I've never done that before and hope never to do so, I left. Felt pretty bad about it, but I just couldn't hang.



June 10, 2018 
St. James



June 17th, 2018 
Holy Spirit



June 24th, 2018 
Cathedral of the Assumption (16)
Finally made it back . . . and (as I could have noted previously), this was a really pretty church . . . see?

But the service felt pretty cold and empty, I'm sorry to say. So while this hit several of the marks for me (old church, organ, etc, so a 5 on my personal preference scale), it wasn't a place I want to go back to again.


July 1st, 2018 
Saint Paul (17)

6, 7, 8, and 9...but not an old, pretty, incensed, or filled with organ music building, so only a 4 for me. I did like this church, though. A big part of that was the priest...but he was filling in...but another big part was the way the congregants acted towards each other. It was kind of like watching family members interact. Loving family members, that is. So not for me...but a nice place. 


July 8th, 2018 
St. Francis of Assisi (18)

Funny, I've passed this church hundreds of times...even went to a function for one of the kids in one of the adjacent halls...but this is the first time I've ever stepped inside. And? It was really impressive. Old building, beautiful stained glass windows, lovely altar--with a huge tapestry hanging up front, which is something I've never seen before...

--and a huge cathedral organ, which was played throughout the service...

...it was really nice. (Sorry that my pictures don't do it justice, but between my shaky hands and my reluctance to take pictures inside of a church--which just does not seem proprietous to me--this is the best that I can do. You should see the pictures I don't post.) And the sermon was also very good. Very thoughtful, some touches of humor, very intelligent, too. This is definitely in my list of favorite Louisville churches. On my rating scale, it does get the 1 (as it was built in 1926, and even though that's not quite at my 100 years old ideal, it's close enough for me), the aforementioned 2 and 3. The singing was okay, but no choir; I wonder if they're just off for the summer, though, as the St. James choir is. No incense, alas, which I sorely missed, but 6 and 7 enthusiastic yeses, and 8 ad 9 as well. Which brings us to a score of 7, which is pretty high up there. I will get back here again once the summer is over to see if a choir shows up.


July 15th, 2018 

St. James



July 22nd, 2018 
St. Albert the Great (19)

Alas, it was more St. Albert the Okay to me. I have to filter out the fact that after the service started a woman, her husband, and her two kids squeezed me down the pew, because the one kid did not shut up for the entire one hour, and that was more than a little distracting and unpleasant. What makes it even more baffling is that there was a very nice cry room available just a few steps away. 

ANYway...the church was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and was very nice and bright. They also had lots of statues in the windows and some nice stained glass. And the priest, who actually seemed to be a resident (a rarity these days, it seems), was pretty good. But even without the obnoxious family I don't think I would go back to this church. It was just another Modern church to me, and that is not what I'm looking for. 

So...no on 1, maybe on 2, yes on 3, not really on 4, no on 5, yes on 6 and 7, no on 8, yes on 9, for a grand total of...5.

July 29th, 2018 

St. Joseph

Pickings were slim this morning because of the child care situation, then they got slimmer when X1 was twenty minutes late, so I opted for St. Joseph again. And it was a perfect storm of Bad Sunday: guest cantor who lost his place at least a half-dozen times, guest priest who gave a bad sermon, a kind of sullen and mostly silent congregation. Even the guitar player was messing up the songs. But you know, despite all that...the beauty of this church kept me focused. Says a lot, dunnit?



August 5th
Church of the Ascension (20)

A very well-lit church, which was nice, and some pretty stained glass. Also the friendliest priest I've encountered thus far. In fact, there was a baptism today, and the priest's reactions to the infant endeared him to me. He also gave a very good sermon. Alas, though, the music (piano and solo singer) was not good, the congregation had little life (almost no one sang, for one thing), and I can't imagine that I'd ever want to come back here. So just a 6 and 7 for me. 2



August 12th
-----St. William-----(21...?)

I can't really count this visit, since I didn't even make it to the start of the service. But I did enter the church...and I'm pretty sure that I won't ever return, so I am crossing it off of the list one way or the other. Short version: I left after a parishioner came up to me and berated me for "sitting in his seat" (it was an empty seat at the back of the church) and then continued to harass me afterwards. What really got me wasn't so much the guy, as there are crazy / angry people everywhere, but the fact that not a single one of the people sitting around me...and there were lots of them...said a single word to either one of us. And this in a church which prides itself on welcoming "all" and on its mission to establish social justice.

I was feeling really bummed when I left, and my first thought was, "That's it for me, I'm through with this church stuff." I've encountered so little Christian spirit, so little joy, so little welcome...enough. But then I decided not to let one bad experience change my determination to continue to seek. I was going to go to St. Martin of Tours, as I knew that I would feel better about life there, but when I pulled up it was fifteen minutes into the service--and I don't do late entrances--and an hour and fifteen minutes before the next one. So I checked the Louisville Mass Schedule and decided to give Saint Gabriel a try.

P.S. I thought hard about it, and then decided to write an email to the priest of St. William. I have a passing knowledge of him via the kids (who usually go to this church), and I was pretty sure that he would want to know about my experience. I am 100% sure that he would not want anyone else to have this kind of experience in his church. Updates as and if they happen.

P.P.S. Didn't hear back from the priest, but did hear from a minister who apologized and said some stuff, but it wasn't enough for me, to tell the truth. I won't be going back to this church, for sure.



Saint Gabriel (22)
A very big church. And filled with light, which was nice. Interesting design at the front of the church:

Though I have to say that the 3/4ths of a circle image left something to be desired for me so far as symbolism is concerned. The rest of the church...well, it's not the kind of architecture which inspires feelings of reverence in me. Brick. Metal girders. Lots of windows, but all looking out on other buildings. (As much as I disliked Epiphany, at least their glass sides looked out on nature.) The music was one singer (a man with a very nice voice) and piano...though there was one organ moments during the service. I really didn't like the sermon at all. The subject was the communion bread and wine, and how it really was the body and blood of Christ. Which is fine, but the way it was delivered really bothered me. The priest was belligerent and presumptuous. The basic format was this: "Many Catholics have a hard time believing that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. But they have no trouble accepting that Jesus fed the five thousand." Well. This was also one of those churches where most of the people don't sing, which bothers me. I did my best to belt it out, though it is kind of embarrassing when everyone around you is silent. I did get a few Peaces from my neighbors, though, so at least there was that.

So...(6), I suppose...but that was really it. One of my least favorite churches. But you know what? It was still 100X better than St. William...and at least I left feeling like I could continue with my Sunday church visits, so I give them thanks for that, at leasSt.

August 19th

St. Joseph

Actually headed out for St. Patrick this morning, but misread the schedule and arrived 15 minutes late. And I don't do late, so I went for St. Joseph instead. I like that church. A lot.

August 26th

St. Patrick (23)

Another big, East zend church. Not a bad place, but not for me...though I did run into an acquaintance who was happy to see me and immediately gave me materials if I wanted to sign on...plus an invitation to a Bible study group. Nice, but I don't think so. I would have to give this one points for (6), but that would be it. Sorry.

September 2nd

Christ the King, Rutland, Vermont

Now this church was a beauty. Definitely old, too...and a lovely interior. Was visiting #1son Jimmy, who didn't want to go to the service, but his wife and Jacqueline and Joe did. I'm sorry to say that I can't remember if there was organ music. I feel like there must have been. No incense, though. I thought the sermon was particularly noteworthy: a meditation on the difference between following the letter of the law and following the spirit of the New Testament, made personal and actually even funny at times by the young priest. I would like to go back to this one again sometime. (Although I have to admit that we were actually heading for The Immaculate Heart of Mary, but the 10:00 service listed on their website no longer existed, so Christ the King was the fallback plan. IHoM looked really beautiful, though, so maybe I can see that next time around.) There was quite a good crowd at Christ the King, too...bigger than the norm at, say, St. James in Louisville. I guess that's partially because there aren't as many Catholic churches in the area...but there aren't a lot of people in the area, either, and I would doubt that Catholicism is the dominant religion in a town as far north as this.

September 8th

Saint Lucy's Parish, The Bronx, New York

Hit a 9:00 am Saturday service on the way back home...and it renewed my suspicion that this is my favorite church ever. I don't think it's all that old, and it's not beautiful in the way that Catholic churches are usually beautiful, but it more than makes up for that in other ways...like the mosaic depicting key moments in the martyrdom of St. Lucy which covers the back wall...and the two grottos outside. But most of all this church just seems to be a real place of worship. I think it is the most sincere church I've ever visited. Went with Jacqueline and Joe--our second time there together, as we went last year while we were in New York City for our visit. But this time I drove, which took a lot for me. It was very nerve wracking, but well worth it. I might even be tempted to do it again.

September 9th

Saint Athanasius (24)

Back in Louisville, and really tired, and since I did go to mass yesterday I was tempted to sit it out today...completely drained after (1) not getting much sleep in our loud hotel room, (2) driving from New Rochelle to the Bronx, then from the Bronx out of NYC, (3) driving from 10:00 a.m. until 9:30 p.m with only a few pee and gasoline breaks, (4) driving through heavy rain and road repairs in West Virginia, which I can certify is NOT almost heaven, and (5) driving the last hour in Louisville in torrential rains...so heavy that I could barely see the road and would have pulled off if I hadn't known that that would be even more dangerous than going on, so driving slowly and with flashers on. But I decided to go to a later service (11:30) at Saint Athanasius. 

It was big. The choir was actually quite good, though no organ, alas. The sermon was okay. But other than that, nothing that appealed to me. So only a (2) on my personal preferences scale. Being here did help me to solidify my preferences list, though, so at some point I'm going to add some more criteria:

I want to go to a church where...

(1) I'm not the only man wearing a suit.

(2) People show reverence toward the church / God / The Saints.

(3) People sing along with the hymns. 

(4) I am greeted at least once before the service begins.

And lest I add to my friend's perception that I am superficial when it comes to "evaluating" churches, I will explain"

(1) Dressing up is a way of showing respect. Would you be comfortable going to a doctor who wore a tank top and cut-off jeans? I don't think so. So why not dress up for church? (BTW, there was one other guy in church today wearing a suit. And it was a big church, pretty full up of people.) I thought of adding another thing here about how women dress, but suffice it to say (for now) that if women are showing off their breasts or legs (both true at this church...and some pretty impressive body parts, I have to admit), then they are making it hard for me to focus on my spirit, and I find it hard to believe that they are not indulging in a bit of effrontery to indulge their own egos. But I'll mull this over a bit more before it makes my official list.

(2) I was really struck by the behavior of people at St. Lucy's. It was very common for people to kiss the hands of the statue of the Virgin Mary, and you could tell that they really meant it. That stone had become a means by which they communicated with The Divine, and that it was a beautiful church has come to mean to me. I want more of that.

(3) If you're not there to participate, why are you there? I made myself start singing, even though it embarrassed me to do so, because I realized that not singing pushed me farther away from the experience. I don't think there's any excuse for not singing in church if you have come there to worship.

(4) Everybody knows who The Stranger is. Why wouldn't you welcome him to your church? I don't think there's any excuse for not doing so. It is un-Christian.

So here's what I'm thinking: once I figure out which churches I like the best, I will go back and figure out which one of those is best suited for me. Which reminds me, I also want a church

(5) Which has its own RCIA program. If I decide to join a church, I don't want a generic RCIA experience, I want one that is bound to that specific church.

So I guess going to St. Athanasius was useful, at least, in helping me to further refine what I'm looking for.

September 16th

St. Francis of Rome (25)

This church had a nice feel to it. I'm not completely sure why, but part of it was that it was a pretty full house (especially so for an 8:30 service), the congregation actually sang the hymns, and it was a fairly small church, so you kind of felt cozier than you would in a big church. I hadn't thought of that aspect of church architecture previously. Upon entering through the main door, you almost walk into the back of the church organ, which sits squarely in front of the door.

And, much to my delight, the organ was used throughout the service. I didn't get the feeling that the church itself was all that old, and it wasn't as ornate as some of the older churches...

...but there were nice stained glass windows. There were also at least six other men wearing suits, and I liked that. In fact, overall I'd say that the decorum (as presented via mode of attire) was higher here than in most of the Catholic churches I've visited, where shorts and a t-shirt are pretty much the soup du jour. The priest was a little bit too aggressive for me, but he gave a good sermon on Who Is Christ To You, and he even brought along five or so paintings to illustrate his sermon. I ended up liking him quite a bit.

Overall, a good experience...but not the church for me, I think. Let's see...3, 6,7,8, and 9, so a 5 on my personal preferences scale. Not bad...especially given the lack of statuary and incense.

BTW, 15 more Sundays and I've got a perfect record...if you forgive the early bail out on the Sunday I felt sick. Not bad!

September 23rd

Saint Bartholomew (26)

This was a pretty little church. I particularly liked the way that the roof /ceiling was made:

And even though it wasn't real elaborate, the altar area was nice:

I really got a good feeling from this place. The people seemed glad to be here. The priest was young and energetic and full of energy and life, and his sermon...basically on not being envious of others...was pretty good. I also couldn't help but notice that this was by far the most diverse congregation I've yet encountered: black, white, yellow, and brown folks...and brown folks from at least a couple of different locales. The music was guitar / piano driven, which is not my favorite style, but (1) they also had a trumpet in there, which really sweetens things up and (2) the piano had a little bit of soul to it, which helped those old hymns along. I actually enjoyed it, and didn't even feel self-conscious about singing along.

So on my scale...I'm giving it 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9...total 6, which is very high for a not old church without organ or incense. I think I might want to go back to this one for another go at some point. It felt that good.

September 30th

St. James

October 7th

Saint Bernard (27)

This was a nice little church...and had some interesting features which differentiated it from others I've visited. For one thing, it had the best baptismal font I've ever seen in a Catholic church:

For another, the altar area was quite unique...

...in fact, you might not even to make out the altar in my picture. It's under that green drape-y thing on the right. The sermon was pretty brief, as after a few comments from the priest about taking advantage of times when Jesus calls us, a choir member stepped up to deliver an invitation to a retreat the church is having in the near future. But I didn't get the feeling that this was the church for me. There's something about a priest coming up before the service and telling everybody to take out their chewing gum that just doesn't seem right to me, y'know? Like he DEFinitely should have delegated that one if he felt that it had to happen. Anyway...St. Bernard does get points from me for organ use (3) and a hearable sermon (6), and maybe kind of sort of (9), but I'm afraid that that's that for me. Not one I'll be returning to, I'd say. 3

October 14th 

St. James 

Today it occurred to me that I feel very comfortable...even at home...at St. James. There are a few people who recognize me and even say hello to me, I know what to do most of the time, and I can even sing most of the songs. I don't think this is "my" church, but it is a good place for me.

October 21st

Saint Leonard (28)

I'm sorry to admit that from the minute I walked into this church I was thinking, "This is not a place for me." It felt cold. It looked barren. Almost Protestant, really. 

And that was pretty much it. There were statues of Mary and the Child Jesus on the wall to the left and one of a grown up Jesus on the right (just out of frame), and there were no color depictions of the Stations of the Cross on the walls. And stained glass windows. But that front. Those fake pillars. I'm not sure, but in the back of the church up high where a choir loft would be--but wasn't--it looked like there were fake organ pipes as well. Hopefully I'm mistaken about that, but to tell the truth it wouldn't surprise me. This church really did seem fake to me. To make it worse, the piano had a very odd buzzing sound, as if it were being accompanied by an out-of-tune theremin....and the woman who played it hit a fair number of wrong keys. The congregation didn't sing along with any of the hymns, and though I struggled to do so it was difficult because of the high pitched voice of the woman who led the singing. "Led," I suppose. Anyway...I could hear the sermon...but it was pretty thin. The crux of it was that we shouldn't want to sit on the right and left hands of Jesus in the afterlife. And that was it, so a very low 1 for me. One nice thing, though: I recognized one of the communion ministers as an old friend from my teaching days at Ballard High School, so I went up and chatted with her for awhile after the service. Funny, because she seemed really happy with the church and was singing its praises and telling me that I should come back. But hey, different strokes for different folks, right? That's why I'm doing this whole tour thing anyway...or, at least, that's become why I'm doing this whole tour thing. Trying to zero in on a church which really appeals to me. With an eye towards considering joining up. It won't be St. Leonard, though.

October 27th

St. Margaret Mary

Jacqueline said that she wanted to celebrate St. Margaret Mary's birthday and this was as close as she could get to it in terms of a day I could take her, so we went for it. And even though I've been vastly unimpressed with SMM in the past, things went a little better this time around. I'm not sure what it was. Maybe because they used the organ several times. Maybe because the person who led the choir was a middle school aged boy who looked very nervous. Maybe a lot of things. But it was the best visit I've had, and since we (as a family) once belonged to this church, there have been quite a few visits in the past.

October 28th 

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (29)

Technically I suppose I could have taken today off, but I'm really trying to stick to my Every Sunday goal, so I thought I'd explore the farther reaches of Louisville today. In fact, it was so far away that I actually arrived a few minutes late, which I hate, but having travelled all that way I wasn't about to not go in...plus I saw several other people scurrying to get inside with me, and that somehow made it better.

The church was pretty modest. No pews, just chairs with those little fold up kneelers on the back. No entryway, just open the door and you're in the church. No organ. But it had a kind of neat set up that I've never seen before:

So there's a modest background in the middle with just a crucifix, and on the left and the right are alcoves, little shrines, I guess.

Once for Mary and Baby Jesus, the other for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. I really liked it.

Unfortunately the rest of it wasn't for me, though. In fact, on my scale of preferences I can only give it a point for (6), a sermon I could hear and understand. The congregation was one of those which doesn't sing, there was no choir, and the only accompaniment was piano. Sorry, St. Elizabeth Ann. Best of luck to you, though. And at least it was a pretty full church, which I don't always see.

November 1st (Thursday): All Saints Day

St. James

Jacqueline wanted to go to church for All Saints Day. For one thing, because the choir was singing. For another, because she is a Saints kind of girl. 

November 4th

Saint Lawrence (30)

This turned out to be a moving experience for me...because as soon as I entered the church and saw the baptismal font, it took me back to the days of being married to Jo Ann. She worked at this church pretty early in her DRE career...probably 1991-ish. The font was the only part of the church which seemed familiar to me, but that was enough. I actually felt like I was going to cry for about five minutes.

As for the church and service itself, it had some high points. It's not an old church, but it did have the same kind of alcoves that I'd seen at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton last week:

And there was the pretty stained glass window above the altar--which this picture does no justice to at all. On the wall to the left there was a very interesting take on the stations of the cross. I wish that I had taken a picture of them, but I'm pretty shy about using a camera in church. They were almost like cartoons...but not in any bad way. I just looked around on the internet to see if I could spot any pictures, but no luck. Might just have to go back. Anyway...the music was not good. Piano and male singer, and both missed quite a few notes. Also, the congregation wasn't really big on singing. But they did seem to come in on the not hymns singing things, so maybe that was more of an unfamiliarity thing than a non-participant thing. On the plus side, though: I was greeted by three people, one of whom was the priest, before I entered the church; the sermon was very good--talking about coming close to God's kingdom and how that applied to our lives in the world, with special emphasis on the upcoming election. Speaking of which, the priest also pointed out that (1) the church says not to vote for somebody based on just one issue...and specifically identified right to life as a single issue, and (2) added that right to life meant more than just being anti-abortion. It was one of the better sermons I've heard in my life, actually. 

So on my preferences, I would only give it points for 6,7,8, and 8, which would be a pretty low score of  4 , but I am pretty sure that I'm going to go back to St. Lawrence for the priest. Besides, while I was looking for pictures of their stations of the cross I saw that they have some kind of dvd lecture series going on Monday 10-12, and I think I might want to check that out.

I'd gone to an early (8:30) service, and I happened to notice that there were some other Catholic churches in the area...and it was a pretty fair drive from my house...so I decided to make today a double-header. And I headed to 

Saints Simon and Jude (31)

for a 10:00 service. It was pretty obvious from the parking lot alone that this was a small, poor church. One step inside underscored this. 

Very barren up front. There were some nice stained glass windows down the sides...

...but it wasn't nearly enough to relieve the dismal surroundings. There weren't many people in attendance...less than 100...and they didn't sing at all. I have to say, though, that even with just piano accompaniment and a very small group, the choir did a lovely job. Unfortunately, the priest, who seemed very good hearted and happy, was completely incomprehensible. His English was so heavily accented that he actually used a computer slideshow with his sermon so that we could catch some of the words. (I saw several members of the congregation looking at each other as they tried to puzzle out what he was saying at times, so it wasn't just me by any means.) From what I could catch, his sermon was very disjointed and bloodless, too. It occurred to me that there are (at least) three types of sermons:

1. the personal

2. the philosophical

3. the practical

And of course there is all kinds of crossover as well. But I've heard all three of them in the past four days. At St. James, the priest gave a very personal sermon for All Saints Day...and it didn't work for me at all. It felt like he was just so full of himself that he wanted to give an oral autobiography rather than preach a sermon...which, of course, is the danger of taking that approach. The Saints Simon and Jude priest tried for the philosophical approach, and spent his time talking about what being closer to God's kingdom means. The problem here is that not only does it seem bloodless and removed from life, but...well, let's just put it this way: it's not like you can deliver graduate level theological thought in a twenty minute Sunday sermon, right? So it sticks to some pretty shallow areas of the ocean. And at St. Lawrence I had a superb example of the third approach. He applied the Bible readings...and especially the Gospel reading...to a topical issue, and he actually gave specific practical advice on how this applied.

Speaking of which...seeing how two different priests handled "the same topic" was really interesting. I may have to make this double header approach a regular feature whenever I have the time to do so.

As for Saints Simon and Jude...sorry to say it doesn't get a single point on my personal preferences scale...and I can't imagine ever going back there again. Sorry about that.

November 11th

St. James

November 18th

St. Bernadette (32) 

There were some things I liked about St. Bernadette. For one thing, I was actually greeted twice on my way in...which doesn't always happen in Catholic churches. I don't know why they don't understand the whole make people feel welcome thing, but it's pretty clear that most of them don't. I wasn't prepared for the immensity of the church when I walked in. It was a really big space. Unfortunately, it was "modern" in the ways that I don't like very much: an ugly ceiling, ugly floor, not much on the walls (though there were nice 3D Stations of the Cross on three of the four walls), and the "exposed beams" kind of style, as you can see in this picture of the altar area:

I did like the lights, though...and there were little shrines for Mary and Jesus holding a child on opposite ends of the church which were very nice:

Don't know if you can tell from the picture, but Mary is stepping on a snake. That still seems strange to me.

ANYway...the music was provided by piano and keyboard which did a strings sound which was authentic enough to have me looking for a violin for several minutes. Just one singer. The priest was young and I'm sure I've seen / heard him somewhere else along the way...but I didn't care for his sermon. It was mostly focused on a Jesus is Watching You message, which I find kind of creepy and antithetical to what I'm looking for in religion. The priest ended his sermon by telling a little joke about kids going into a cafeteria and there being a pile of apples and a pile of cookies, and there being a sign nest to the apples saying, "Just take one; Jesus is watching." So, of course, a kid says to his friend, "Take as many cookies as you want, Jesus is watching the apples." Which is kind of cute funny and would have been fine if the priest hadn't felt it necessary to coda it by saying, "Jesus is watching. And he knows how many apples and cookies you have." Sheesh. 

This was also another We Don't Sing church. Not for me. I give it (6) and (8) in my personal preferences, for a paltry 2 rating. Sorry, St. Bernadette.

I wanted to take in another church before I headed home, but there wasn't one in the area I hadn't already visited with a time that would work, so just the one this time.

November 25th

Mary Queen of Peace (33)

Garmin gave me some trouble vis a vis locating this church, but fortunately I had my phone running directions, too, and the good old Galaxy S4 got me there. This was a pretty big church, with an rather imposing statue of Mary attached to its front entrance:

 

It was very modest on the inside, though...

In fact, this might have been the most barren front of the church that I've seen yet, with just the green hanging in back of the altar.

Which, alas, does not work for me. The music was mostly provided by piano and single singer, though an organ was put into play a few times. And, alas, this was one of those congregations wherein nobody sings. I thought everybody looked pretty miserable and lifeless, too, but that changed when Father went up to deliver his sermon. He'd barely gotten started before several car alarms went off out in the parking lot, and he paused and made a comment, tried to continue, but the alarms just kept going and he stopped and said something like, "I might as well just give up." At which point a congregation member said something like, "Good idea!" And then there was a mock scolding and some laughter, and it was pretty clear that these people had a real relationship with the Father...and one that I haven't seen in evidence before during a church service. Another plus was that the sermon was quite good. So all in all, this turned out to be a pretty good church experience. On my personal preferences scale I can only give it points for 3, 6, 7, and 8...but due to the priest this was the best  4  experience I've had, I think.  Oh...it did have an interesting ceiling, though:

Kind of like a roll top desk. No extra points for that, though.

I'd gone to a 9:00 service for Mary Queen of Peace, so I decided to see if there was another church on the path back home with a service at 10:30. And lo, there was Our Mother of Sorrows.

Our Mother of Sorrows (34)

I've probably driven past this church several hundred times, since I used to live in Germantown and attended U of L for my Master's Degree, but I didn't even know that it was a Catholic church until this morning. It looked a bit downtrodden from the outside, but once inside...well. It kind of took my breath away.

It wasn't as ornate as my favorite churches, but it was most assuredly beautiful to look at. Marble walls all around, niches with statues and places to pray like this

on either side of the church, and statues. The service also began with the distinct scent of incense in the air. It's been awhile since I have had that pleasure. The music was provided by piano and a little bit of flute, but there was a choir, and I thought that they were pretty good. So points for 2, 4, 5 there...and the congregation was pretty awesome, too, so 8 and 9 there. But the priest...oh, my. This might have been the best sermon I've ever heard. The priest was a young black man, and he was on fire. He started slow. Greeted the congregation with a "Howdy" which they echoed back to him. He then started talking about Thanksgiving dinner, and how he had eaten with some college friends, one of whom told him that one of the other diners was related to one of the people who had been shot at the Louisville Kroger (less than four miles from my front door) in a hate crime. And this Sunday was The Feast of Christ the King, and the priest...oh, I just looked him up to see what his name was, since it seemed like it was past time to stop calling him The Priest, and just found out that he is Fr. Christopher Rhodes, and that he is the same priest I liked so much at Saint Elizabeth of Hungary way back on January 28th. His look has changed considerably since then! Anyway, Father Chris then launched into a series of statements about how there were times when he had doubts as to whether Christ was the King...and he named various troubles in the world, including hate crimes, of course, but also talking about the clergy who were guilty of sexual abuse, the bishops who covered up that abuse. He really seemed to be seething, and I was wondering how the mostly white congregation was handling it. When he got to the end, I found out. They burst into applause, and then someone shouted, "Thank you, Father." Wow. Incredible moment. And just a minute or two later a child was brought up to be baptized, and Father Chris shifted gears like Mario Andretti going into a hard turn and was gentle and convivial. After the baptism was completed, Father Chris crouched down in front of the child and began to clap his hands and sing, "This little light of mine," and the congregation joined in.

That is what church is for, man. And I definitely want some more of this kind of thing.

P.S. I got so excited about that sermon that I forgot to do my final rating. Well, the church was "only" 80 years old, but I'm going to give it 1 anyway...and obviously it gets the 6 and 7...which puts Our Mother of Sorrows at  8 . Yep. Pretty much as good as it gets.

December 2nd 

Saint Edward (35)

I like the ceiling. It had a long, skinny skylight--

--which really brightened up the place. Other than that, though...well. I thought the sermon was okay, so  2 . Not a place I would think about going back to.

So I thought, I'll have another one. And I set off for St Raphael the Archangel. Unfortunately, I must have messed up when I set Google Maps up for that trip, and it took me somewhere else. So I thought, I'll go to St. Gabriel instead, since that's closer. And I got there just a minute late, and decided to go for it (even though that's against one of my rules). Got in and the priest was doing a pre-service announcement, so I hadn't actually been late late. Looked around and thought, "This looks kind of familiar." Then the music minister started leading the opening hymn, and I recognized his voice. Yep. Been there. Didn't enjoy it. So I snuck out. Thought I might still have time for St. Raphael, so I went all out. Got there, turned into what I thought was the church parking lot...and it was the school. And I was officially late and would be another several minutes getting to the church, so I decided that this was not supposed to be a Two Church Sunday.

December 9th

St. James

December 16th

Guardian Angels (36)

Obviously I was going to get around to this church eventually, since my intention is to visit all of the Catholic churches in Louisville, but I specifically sought it out today for the 8:00 service because they do EF (Extraordinary Form) for that service. I wanted to check out the lay of that land, as I am going to church with Pat on Christmas morning, and was thinking about taking her to St. Martin of Tours for their 10:00 mass...but noticed that it was in EF, and wasn't sure what that meant: would there be a choir? Would the sermon be in Latin, too? Well...if all EFs follow Guardian Angels, then EF means NO hymns, NO music, a whole lot of kneeling, and all of the readings done in Latin. So not a whole lot of fun. Normally I'd be tempted to have another go at Guardian Angels, since the EF didn't seem to give them a chance to show their stuff, but there were so many negative factors that I think I'm just going to check it off of my list. The church itself was okay. Beautiful main altar and two nice smaller ones on the sides. But the people were really not even a little bit friendly, and the priest's homily--which was in English--was really aggressively insulting. It contained such bon mots as, "Imagine being at the foot of the cross and leaving to go to the bathroom. That's what you're doing if you leave mass to go to the bathroom." He also talked about how some slovenly Catholics would look at the light fixtures and such during mass, and how inappropriate that was. The man had some high standards, for sure. Too high for me. A shame, because he seemed intelligent and even erudite, but there was no joy in Guardian Angels-ville for me. Shaking the dust off. And 1 --since I could understand the sermon. Though I'd have been just as well off if I hadn't been able to do so.

I had decided to make this day a double header and had considered several possibilities for my second choice, but ended up heading for Good Shepherd, which is probably the Catholic church farthest from my front door. (14.2 miles, in case you were wondering.) It's also probably the church in the poorest section of town--Portalnd--that I've visited as of this writing. I definitely had some new experiences on the way. There was a car in front of me that was driving on three wheels and a rim. When I stopped in at Kroger to use the restroom I had to get a key code. And many of the streets looked like they had recently been carpet bombed. Lots of boarded up buildings. More graffiti than I would have believed existed in Louisville. Reference that, there was a trailer upon whose side someone had written NO VALUES! in huge, pastel-colored letters. Also, the streets regularly dead-ended without warning. When I finally got to the church, I took a look at it and decided to go somewhere else. Got back on the expressway and was trying to decide where to go...and then I thought, "That's not right. I'm not doing this to stay in my comfort zone. If that's what I wanted, I could just go to St. James or one of the churches I've already visited and liked. I'm doing this because I want to find the best church for me, to see if I want to take on this Catholic thing for real." So I hit the Garmin Recent Searches and went back to Good Shepherd. Parked. Took a deep breath, and went in.

Good Shepherd (37)

I was greeted at the door, and again as I went into the church proper. That doesn't happen a whole lot in Catholic churches. And I immediately saw that this was a really beautiful old church.

VERY old school. Lovely stained glass windows, a very ornate marble altar. And something very strange beneath the communion table--which I know is the altar, but I already called the other thing the altar, so.... I tried to take a close-up:

I know, my shaky hands and my attempts not to be too obvious about taking pictures do not make for a great combination. But it's some kind of bird, and I think it is feeding its baby birds with its own heart. Which is kind of a very weird way to depict Christ's sacrifice, but it does make sense...and I suppose beneath the communion table would be the place for it.

I couldn't help but notice that there were patches of paint peeling off of the walls in quite a few spots. It seemed obvious that this church needed some attention...and that it was not at its apogee. Speaking of, I just did a little History Walk, and it was worth the look. Apparently this church was built in 1887...and has survived flood, fire, and abandonment. No wonder it has a few rough spots. But you could still sees its beauty, for sure. And the pastor was quite good. He spent most of his homily time encouraging people to be better Catholics...but he didn't do it by telling the congregation what crappy Catholics they were, you know? (CoughGuardianAngelscough.) There was even a bit of humor, and some obvious good rapport with the people. Speaking of...at the sign of peace moment, an old guy and his wife both came around several pews to shake my hand and greet me. That hasn't ever happened in any other Catholic church.

Oh...even though it was only used once, there was a beautiful organ in the back of the church.

So...a very nice visit. Glad that I toughened up and went for it. And might even want to go back. And...the singing wasn't great (though they did have a choir, and they did give it a go), and there wasn't any incense, but points on all seven other counts = 7.

December 23rd

Immaculate Heart of Mary (38) 4,6,7,8,9 = 5, but for the rest of the story, see https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-tale-of-two-churches.html

Saint John Paul II (39) 6 = 1 (rest of story, see link above)

December 30th (last Sunday of the year)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (40)

A very simple church. Took a picture, but it seems to have evaporated, so you'll just have to take my word for it. The front of the church was pretty barren, actually. There were some good things going on here, though. First off...incense! I really appreciate incense. It helps me to get to that Spiritual Place that I'm trying to visit. And the music, provided by cello, violin, and piano, was quite good. Not much participation from the congregation, though. What's up with this go to church and not sing thing? It baffles me. Anyway. The priest was quite good, gave a very nice sermon about boxes...and about how we shouldn't put people in them, especially not Jesus and The Holy Family. So...5, 6, and 7 for me, which is a pretty low rating of  3 .

Saint Teresa of Calcutta (41)

Have to admit that upon entering this church and getting a first impression, I was not expecting much. No greeting at the door, a small choir consisting mostly of elderly women, and the only musicians evident a pianist and a guitarist. To make things worse, there was a bad smell. It was kind of like chicken noodle soup. And no incense to drive that out of my mind. (The OTHER reason churches should use incense at every service.) On the other hand...the church was definitely on the barren side, but it did have an interesting altar set up:

The sermon was understandable and was okay, but nothing all that special. It was seriously looking like a 6 and 7, 2 point church. And then came The Lord's Prayer. The lady next to me held out her hand, and then the little girl next to me held out her hand. And it was just a really sweet, moving thing, y'know. Plus the pianist shifted over and hit a few licks on the organ, so there was that. And this congregation was the fullest on Sign Of Peace that I've seen except for Black Church. So it ended up being a pretty good experience. Not a I'll Be Heading Back There experience, for sure, but a I'm Not Sorry to Have Ended My Church Year here. So a  6  on my preference scale, and speaking of My Church Year...

Thus endeth the year. Unless Jacqueline gets me to do a New Year's Eve or New Year's Day service, which is possible. So I'll save the summary statement for a couple of days. But it has certainly been an interesting year.

Our Mother of Sorrows 8 

Holy Spirit 8 

Saint Martin of Tours 8

Saint Louis Bertrand  8

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church 7

St. Francis of Assisi 7
Good Shepherd 7

Saint Brigid 6

Saint Joseph 6
Saint Batholomew 6

Saint Teresa of Calcutta  6

St. James Catholic 5

Cathedral of the Assumption 5
St. Albert the Great  5
St. Francis of Rome  5
Immaculate Heart of Mary 5

NOTE: I'm 18 Catholic Churches in as I write this note, and I've just realized that this is the dividing line for me thus far: all of the churches below I didn't like very much, and all of the churches above I liked at least a bit...and most of them quite a bit. (Actually the only exception was the Cathedral, which just didn't quite work for me.) So there's that.

Mary Queen of Peace  4

St. Agnes Catholic Church  4

Saint Boniface 4
Saint Paul 4

St. Stephen Martyr 3

 St. Bernard 3

Our Lady of Mount Carmel 3

Saint Rita 2
Church of the Ascension 2
Saint Athanasius 2
Saint Bernadette 2

Epiphany 1 

Our Lady of Lourdes  1

Saint Margaret Mary 1

Saint Martha 1
Saint Gabriel 1
Saint Patrick 1
Saint Leonard  1
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton  1
Guardian Angels  1
Saint John Paul II 1 

Saints Simon and Jude  0

St. William  -0