Houses of God

A major theme weaving through Advent and Christmas Seasons is how God has come to dwell among us through Christ and how we, like Mary, bear God's presence into the world.  Even as we await the celebration of Christ's Birth at Christmas, we rejoice at how God comes to be present with us each day.

We, as the Church, join together in community to make God known in the world, and church buildings have a special role to play in building that sense of community.

One church building that resonates with me deeply is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.  It is in the midst of its yearlong centennial celebration, celebrating the events in 1920 when physical work starting, first with the blessing of the land in May, and then the placing of the foundation stone.

I first visited the Shrine on October 16, 2013, during an hours-long layover between trains while traveling back to Chicagoland from South Carolina.  I was talking with a professor in college who told me about this Shrine.  At the time of my first visit, the federal government was in shutdown mode, and that was part of the motivation to visit, since it was open.  My visit was also born of a desire to see the Shrine.

I actually saw the Shrine from the train tracks on my way to South Carolina as the train neared Union Station, but only a brief glimpse.  My first substantial gaze came on that October 16, as I beheld the colossal size, I was truly in awe, a sensation I continued to feel as I toured the inside and gazed at the vast upper sanctuary.

Yet even in such a huge space, I was able to find humble, quiet ways to connect with God.  Strung all along the sides of both levels of the Shrine are smaller chapels, each for a devotion of the Blessed Mother from different parts of the world.  I was particularly drawn to the CHapel for La Virgen de Guadalupe, and when the tour guide asked me if I wanted to see any particular space, I requested to go there.  I lingered there later on after attending Mass and before departing.  There are other statues there of saints that resonate with me and the American experience, like St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Mother Katharine Drexel.

I also learned that Mary of the Immaculate Conception is the Patroness Saint of the United States, and so it's fitting a Shrine would be built in her honor in the national capital city.  I was invigorated with deeper appreciation for the Immaculate Conception, and every year since 2013, I have eagerly gone to Mass on this Feast, not only for what the occasion means for our faith, but also what it means for me as a Roman Catholic in the United States.

And almost every time I have gone to Washington, D.C., since, I make a point to visit the Shrine, to reconnect with the special experience I had there the first time, and also for rekindling how it continues to facilitate a connection to God.

This month of December 2020 marks a special anniversary for St. Teresa of Avila (Roman) Catholic Student Center in Valparaiso:  It was 10 years ago, on Gaudete Sunday, December 12, 2010, that the new Ministry Life Center was blessed, as part of the special Advent Student Mass and Dinner, an annual custom on the Sunday before semester test week.

I remember earlier that year in February--I believe it was on Ash Wednesday--I gathered with other students and Father Kevin as he showed us plans for a new addition that would join together the two main buildings at St. Teresa's.

Ground was broken in May after summer break started.  When I returned for my second year, much progress had been made.  I remember being led through the partially-finished site, imaging what it would become.

Work was completed a few months later, and the blessing was set for December 12.  That was a very snowy day, but Bishop Dale Melczek was still present to celebrate the Mass, along with a large group of students.  Even newly-ordained Father Ted was there.  That Advent Student Mass and Dinner is one of my fondest memories of my college years, and that year was extra special because of the blessing.

We put it to good use right away by gathering in the large space on the main level for the meal, much larger than the space that was used before for meals, and even for Mass way back in the earlier years of St. Teresa's.

A few months later came an even bigger snowstorm in early February 2011, and students were in the student lounge on the upper level long into the night having fun as the snow unleashed its fury.  I heard later Father Kevin expressed how pleased he was to see the student lounge being used as such.

Indeed, as I witnessed as a student and as I sense as an alumnus, the spaces at St. Teresa's have been used so well for the important purpose of building community by which the individuals join together and encounter God.

That is what makes any church space so special, the way the gathered community recognizes God's presence and then is sent forth from that encounter to make God known.

Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth peace to people of goodwill.