Theme Thursday: Faith

Linking up with Cari at Clan Donaldson for Theme Thursday, this week’s theme is Faith. 

Since I had the honor of photographing the closing Mass of St. Patrick’s Church, one of our parish churches that closed this July after 179 years, I thought they would be great for the theme of Faith. 

The Church was incorporated as the Church of Saint Patrick on November 7, 1834. Over the years, it became the mother church of approximately fifteen parishes in the surrounding area, it served as headquarters for several groups of sisters, it burned and was rebuilt, and was faith home to so many generations of families in our local communities.

Even though it wasn’t technically my parish, I feel a sense of loss about its closing.  You see, because we don’t have enough priests in our diocese for each parish to have their own, we share with other parishes.  We have three parishes that share a priest, administrative and maintenance staff.  So when I converted to the Catholic Church, it so happened that I began my religious education at St. Patrick’s.  My daughter received her first communion there and I was confirmed and brought into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil at St. Patrick’s.  St. Patrick’s Church was a significant symbol for my faith.  Here are just a few shots from the closing liturgy.