VISITING ST. MARY’S

CHURCH -

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

The title of my homily is, “Visiting St. Mary’s.

Since today, May 31st,  is the feast of the Visitation – Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth – I began reflecting on the theme of visitation.

At times I’ve wondered what folks think when they visit our church.

I’ve only met two people so far who didn’t like the stars up on our ceiling – and neither of them were visitors – but regular parishioners.

Most people who visit us like our church building. When they ask how old it is, I like to say, “The cornerstone was blessed by St. John Neumann in 1858. Check it out on the way from church today. It’s just outside the front door – sort of covered up however.”

Then I add that St. John Neumann was supposed to come back for the dedication on January 15th of 1860 – but he died on January 5th, 1860.” Then I add how big our parish is and that we have another church building just 3 miles out of town – St. John Neumann’s Church. Check it out.

I would hope people from all over town would see the gold covered cross on the top of this church – as well as out in the bay – and get hope – get inspiration – that being the purpose of a spire.

I would hope people out in the water would hear the Bells of St. Mary’s and pray for someone whose funeral Mass just finished – or someone on a Sunday out in the water might say, “Ooops. Church?”

I would hope that if they met any of us, we would be very welcoming.

I see people looking at the bronze plaque outside on the walls of this church – as well as the plaque explaining the Carroll house – and its background for the parish, our state and our country.

I would hope people might drop into the prayer garden and the Eucharistic Chapel – and wonder – wonder - wonder.

I would hope people would walk into this church and pray. So I would hope this church would be a house of prayer and be a so called, “Gate of Heaven”.

I love the scene in the Acts of the Apostles where Paul walked around Athens and checked their religious monuments. Then he said in a speech that he was walking around town and saw their many holy places – and in one place he saw that they had an altar that was dedicated, “To the Unknown God.”

This was his lead and way into proclaiming to them Jesus Christ as that Unknown God – but there is no letter to the Athenians and no mention of an early Christian community there. Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose; hopefully we always try.

I would hope people would walk in and look at all the beautiful stained glass windows here – all ones along the side walls here showing scenes from the life of Mary – and maybe spot the Visitation scene up there on this side over here [POINT].

I would hope people would come up to the front over there and wonder about the Our Lady of Perpetual Shrine – and read the sign there and find out what that’s all about. I would hope Catholics would stop there and say a prayer at Mary’s shrine – and if they had at their wedding going over to a Marian shrine to place some flowers there and pray for their marriage, they would say one more prayer for their marriage as well as all those married here.

I would hope they would see the old wonderful wood and statues of the 12 apostles at our communion rail – and see how some have lost their limbs – and maybe say a prayer for the handicapped and wounded in wars.

Then I hope people would sit down and say some prayers in these very uncomfortable benches – and feel the presence of God here – in Jesus in the tabernacle – as well as in the prayers and the presence of the millions of people who have prayed here in this place.

I would hope they would then walk out saying in their own words the Magnificat of Mary from today’s gospel, “My soul magnifies the Lord” and then go out into the streets of Annapolis and our world and do just that. Amen.

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Photo on top: St. Mary's Church tower. Picture right below from Duke of Gloucester Street. Someone asked the question if the picture on top was that of St. Mary's. Yep! And check the picture of St. Mary's from the Spa Creek Bridge - at the top of my blog.