My first Roamin' Catholic adventure took me to Parkersburg, WV to St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church.
Out in front of St. Francis Xavier - It was massive. I couldn't get all of it in one shot!
I jotted down some directions to the Church, got a coffee and a scone from a local haunt, and went on my merry way to begin my adventure. St. Francis Xavier was slated to have Daily Mass at 12:10, so I left around 10:45 for the 45minute-hour drive (I'm a grandma behind the wheel), and built in about 30-45 minutes in which to get lost, because I'm pretty good at that too (and yes, I even used the images option on Google maps, and I still got lost. WV likes Hwy 68 apparently, and I got off on the first exit labeled as such where I should have waited until the third one... I blame my excitement and zeal for getting started on my ignorance to key words in the directions I wrote down, such as "slight right" instead of "turn right" ...)
The road on which I feared for my life.. that little skinny side to the left of the photo is the last road of the directions before you turn onto Market Street in front of St. Francis Xavier. This was a Roamin' Catholic drive-by shot...
That said, I still made it to the Church with about 15-20 minutes to spare. I parked right out front, grabbed my Daily Missal and digital camera, and headed in a side door I'd seen other people go through. I was immediately met with the smell of incense (mad props!) and the sounds of the people singing "Holy, God We Praise Thy Name" - signaling the end of Adoration. I crept in the back and took a seat about midway up the aisle, blown away by the breathtaking interior of the Church.
Interior of St. Francis Xavier
Prior to the beginning of Mass, Father Eric Hall led the Angelus (a devotion recalling the Incarnation). Holy Mass was fantastic; very traditional, very reverent. After Mass I took a few more photos, but I wanted to be respectful of the people who were still praying after Mass.. and then they turned the lights off on me. (Booo) So.. the photos I got were few in number, but still captured the essence of the beautiful Church!
High altar with St. Francis Xavier statue to the side
The website for St. Francis Xavier (a part of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston) is user-friendly and offers a comprehensive list of various items of interest to its visitors. Schedules for Liturgy, Mass times, the Church's history and mission statement, and various contact information, among other things, are available at the click of a button. (In comparison to other Church websites I've come across, it definitely gets the job done!) The weekly bulletin, which details pertinent information in one document for parishioners, is also linked to the site.
It was in the online bulletin that I found a gem: Fr. Eric has a blog! I can't find it currently linked to St. Francis Xavier's homepage, but it does exist. It appears that Fr. Eric's blog is in its infancy with only 12 posts to date, but he has started one with short entries concerning the daily Scripture readings. I hope he continues to update it.. (Look for it in the links in the left hand column of this blog too!)
St. Francis Xavier was a wonderful parish to kickoff the Roamin' Catholic series here at Isidore's Digital Doorway. I'm excited to visit more parishes in person AND virtually in order to discuss their presence to those they serve.
+JMJ+
4 comments:
MCK - Thanks for the "props". I couldn't have paid for great adverts like that. Glad you found us and joined in our worship. I was wondering who you were (I tend to notice "new" people). Keep up the good work. Peace - Fr. Eric
Hi Fr. Eric - Thanks for stopping by! No problem, I love the smell of incense and the use of it in general but unfortunately don't see it/smell it as much as I'd like to!
It was definitely my pleasure visiting St. Francis Xavier, and I'm sure I'll be back! The organist for the Mass I usually attend in Athens has raved about your parish, so I was very excited!
Thanks for your compliments - I hope to continue this endeavor! :)
MCK
Make sure you make it up to St. Mary's in Marietta - it's a major gem!
Oh most definitely, I will! I LOVE St. Mary's. That's where I've spent my Holy Week the two years I've been up here! Thanks for the heads up - please check back, will be posting another entry (St. Mary's in Lancaster, OH) tomorrow AM!
Post a Comment