Footprints Of Our Catholic Brethren

St. Simon Church, Washington, Indiana

I was surrounded. Two days after the largest Right-to-Life banquet in the nation, I was surrounded; and I could not help but smile.

Sitting in the pews at Our Lady of Hope in Washington, Indiana, I was inspired by the sounds and invigorated by what I saw. As the late Father Gordon Mann began Mass with the opening blessing, the words seemed to spring from our pews that evening. He proclaimed,

“May your people exult forever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen”

I remained surrounded. Surrounded by a bubbly little girl whose extra chromosome made her dispensable in much of the world, but whose adoptive parents had seen the beauty she possessed. Surrounded by a vivacious little infant whose life had come in a miraculous way after her parents had sadly said goodbye to the sister who had been lost before. Surrounded by many “accidents,” all of whom had occurred at inconvenient times in the most unplanned of ways.

In the midst of these surroundings, these little children suddenly stirred excitedly, for up in the front of the church, two of their peers were being granted divinity as only Christ can give. As the baptism unfolded, I looked down the pew to see our children perched precariously on the kneelers, clamoring for a chance to see this sacramental miracle. They giggled. They smiled. They could not contain their childish enthusiasm as the little boy, just baptized, took the priest’s hand off his father’s head and replaced it with his own. The church erupted in laughter. Our children became a part of life once again. I could not look away. For in their unfettered zeal, I became consciously aware of my own.

Above the newly baptized, high in the church, was this inscription: “we though many parts are one body for we eat of one bread and drink of one cup.”

We were many, but of one Body renewed in the spirit of His Resurrection. As the sounds filled our aisles and the little girl received Christ in the form of Communion for the first time that day, one thing was clear:  Life is hope. Hope is life. Hope without life is no hope at all, for all ceases to exist without the potential for life. But with life, hope springs eternal, and faith emerges so that love can sustain the life that we are yet unaware.

That day, Our Lady of Hope parishioners must have smiled at the vibrancy and joy that existed inside. New life in the church had been born again, as the eyes of the little ones danced. I could not help but feel a remarkable surge inside. These children were the hope for our diocese. We loved them in all the diversity they brought. I pray that we as parents would do all that is possible to keep their eyes dancing at the sight of their Savior on High.

This reflection is from Jim Schroeder’s book “The Evansville Diocese Historical Tour: Footprints of Our Catholic Brethren.” Jim, his wife, Amy, and their 7 kids live in Evansville.  They are parishioners at Holy Redeemer Parish. Jim is a pediatric psychologist and Vice President of the psychology department at Easterseals Rehabilitation Center. The full story, including illustrations, is available on Amazon or with his other books and articles at www.james-schroeder.com.”