January 8, 2020 Every time I walk into that building, I’m inundated with memories, emotions and a feeling of connectedness. It’s always felt like my spiritual home. Yet, as I worshipped and sang in St. Joseph’s Church in Bombay on Dec. 29, I was also inundated with sadness. Bishop Terry R. LaValley was celebrating the final Mass in the tiny country church, my tiny country church. I was baptized in that church. I received First Communion in that church. My husband and I were married in that church. In that church, I learned the tenets of my faith and found community with which I could share it. I can tell countless stories connected to that church – stories of the profound lessons learned and stories of the antics of the youth choir with which I sang as a teen. While St. Joseph’s hasn’t been my home church since 2002, I’ve had numerous opportunities to return and sing with the church’s music ministry. Every time I did so, I felt like I returned home to familiar faces and a place of warmth, a place where I came to know the Lord. It’s heartbreaking to lose a spiritual home. I’m acutely aware of the circumstances that necessitate such church closures, but it still hurts. I shed tears, and I would guess I’m not the only one who did so. While I process my sadness, I also move forward with hope. St. Joseph’s Church may have closed, but the Church is much more than that building. The Church is the body of Christ – the outstanding people I have come to know around the diocese (and others I don’t know around the world), people who are working to grow in their love of the Lord and to share that love with those around them. The Church is the people who serve others, seeing Jesus in those in need. The Church is the sacraments, which we are blessed to still have available to us. The Church unifies us with Christ, our real spiritual home. I offer prayers for the parishioners of St. Joseph’s in Bombay and for all the faithful who no longer have lost their church buildings of choice. |
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