Sunday = Mass

Vince and I go to Mass every Sunday even on vacation. Our friend Ralph calls us hard-core Catholics because of this, but I do not see it that way. It is just what we do. Not only have we assembled some great memories, we have shared experience with the locals and have seen some great architectural gems in their Sunday best.

The Lady Chapel in St. Patrick's Cathedral

Vince and I were married and our sons were baptized in one of the great cathedrals of the world, St. Patrick's in New York City but we appreciate churches of all shapes, sizes and styles.

rose petals in the Pantheon

We have been to Mass in some grand cathedrals on high holy days such as the Papal Christmas Eve midnight Mass we attended at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City or the Feast of the Pentecost in the Pantheon in Rome when red rose petals are dropped through the rotunda's oculus to symbolize the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles.

In quieter settings such as the solemn St. Peter's Cathedral in the Fells Road area of Belfast, Northern Ireland and the stately family chapel on the grounds of Stonor House in Oxfordshire. Not just for the family anymore, Lord Camoys welcomes the entire village to Sunday Mass in the Jacobite chapel which has been used to celebrate Mass continuously since 1349. It was used even during the Reformation when the priests would hide out in the chapel's priest's hole during Protestant raids.

Dad in Zborov

We have taken Communion at the badly damaged, previously ransacked and pillaged and newly reconsecrated St. Catherine's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia and St. Margaret's, the village Church where my father was baptized in Zborov, Slovakia. Closed as a place of worship during Soviet rule, for 30 years St. Catherine's was used only as storage space for the "Museum of History of Religion and of Atheism" across the street. In comparison, St. Margaret's in Zborov remained open even while under Soviet occupation which it still was when we visited.

Sagrada Familia

We suffered like good little Catholics through one of the longest homilies we ever experienced - and in Spanish no less - in an open air cathedral in Panama City, Panama and thoroughly enjoyed another Spanish Mass tucked in a corner of the unfinished Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

Mass at the Cathedrale Notre Dame in Strasbourg gave new meaning to the term bi-lingual when the Alsatian priest alternated parts of the same Mass in both German and French. We attended many Masses in French at countless churches in Paris including Notre Dame and Sacre Couer,  as well as in the opulent Notre Dame Basilica and the well-situated St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal.

renewing our vows at The American Church in Paris

Surrounded by Matisse murals and vestments, Mass at the modern La Chapelle du Rosaire in St. Paul-de-Vence was just as unforgettable as the sunrise service in a chapel built into the bauxite cliff at Le Baux or by candlelight in the underground cathedral at Lourdes. (We did however choose to renew our wedding vows on our 30th wedding anniversary in English at The American Church in Paris on the campus of the American University in Paris.)

Christmas Eve at Schloss Monchstein

On another memorable Christmas Eve, we attended midnight Mass in the tiny baroque chapel attached to the Schloss Monchstein castle in Salzburg where we were staying for the holiday. The chapel only held about 10 people and most of the worshipers spilled out into the hall. As we were all visitors from other countries, the officiant reminded us that even though we were far from home, we are always "home" in a Roman Catholic Church. I have never forgotten that and I think back fondly on that empathetic priest whenever we attend Mass on our travels.



This weekend we added Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Town to our list of unforgettable spiritual experiences. The full name of the church is the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt. Great name! It is the oldest Roman Catholic church in South Africa and was located around the corner from our hotel so we couldn't resist. It did not disappoint. Once again we felt right at home.