Weekend Wisdom - October 19th-20th, 2024
My wife Lynn and I recently celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary by taking a trip to the Canadian Rockies. I’ve heard it said, that when you travel to the East Coast, you tend to be surrounded by things that humans have built. And, when you spend time in the West, you can experience the grandeur of God’s creation! We were blessed to be surrounded by God’s beautiful creation in places like Banff, Lake Louise, and Moraine Lake. Mountains and lakes under blue skies, decorated in fall colors… Breathtaking!
On October 6, our best option for Sunday Mass was St. Mary Parish in Banff which is in the Diocese of Calgary. It got me to thinking… I wonder how many parishes in the world are dedicated to Mary? Although that number is not known, it’s estimated that one-fourth of all parishes bear her name!
The first Mass in Banff was celebrated in 1845 for the workers who were building the Canadian Pacific Railroad. The original log church, was replaced by a beautiful church building made of stone in 1951. The first thing that I noticed as we entered the church was the beautiful alabaster window behind the altar which depicts the Holy Spirit as a dove. It’s a replica of the window behind the altar in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
While praying before Mass, I was drawn to the beautiful stained-glass windows. Fr. Dan Stevenot (pastor) invited us to spend some time studying them after Mass. He mentioned that the windows were designed by Fr. McGuinness, who also designed the church building. Fr. McGuinness was an architectural engineer for the railroad before becoming a priest. He did a wonderful job of combining the various biblical scenes with local surroundings. For example, a window featuring the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven has her holding a ski pole. And, as shown in this picture (lef), Fr. McGuinness included a moose and an elk in the nativity scene with Lake Louise in the background!
During this trip, we encountered people from all over the world. In many places, there were more people speaking foreign languages than people who were speaking English. Regardless of backgrounds and native languages, I was struck that what unites us, far outweighs what divides us… God created all of us to live in peace, to love one another, and to enjoy his creation. My prayer is that, with God’s help, all of us strive to focus on what unites us… and strive for peace… peace in our hearts, peace in our families, peace in our communities, and peace in our world!
May God bless you and your family!
Deacon Mark
