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Token picture of the cathedral. Bonus points if you can
guess why I've posted it!
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Hello from the Sunny Southeast! Unfortunately it’s not too
sunny today, but that’s just a part of life here in Ireland. I just wanted to
write about a really important phenomenon that I have noticed in the Diocese:
Waterford Crystal!
I’m sure many of you have heard about it. I remember growing
up that my sister would always get a Waterford Crystal ornament at Christmas
and it was a big deal! They’re supposed to be among the highest quality because
each one of them is hand-crafted. Every piece of authentic Waterford crystal was
made by one person’s very hard, intentional work. There is one very unique way
that you can tell whether a piece is authentic: the imperfections. Each
hand-crafted piece will have little parts of them that if I found that in a
Walmart glass I’d probably have it returned. But in all reality, the little
chips that might not seem to belong there reflect a special uniqueness that can
never be duplicated. I’m hoping everybody can see a certain parallel here.
Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to write about today. I
wanted to give just a brief update on how I am doing, how my team is doing, and
the work we are beginning to do. We have been in Waterford for two weeks now,
and most of it has been preparing for the ministry and contacting people. We
have been visiting the parishes in Waterford City and making announcements
after Masses. We have gone to different meetings and groups that we’ve
discovered. We also have the advantage of being the second NET team in
Waterford, so we are really just trying to pick up and re-cultivate the relationships
that they left for us. In doing this, we’ve done a lot of walking and I’ve seen
a lot of new, different churches. But there’s been one thing that’s struck me.
Something I’ve never noticed in any church before.
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| Surprise! (From the Cathedral) |
In every church in this city, whether it be the classically
styled Cathedral or a newer circular church, I have seen Waterford Crystal.
There are pieces set in each of the churches, like the one above, or there have
been chandeliers that I can only assume are Waterford Crystal. It’s really
cool, and it has reminded me of what I’ve been reading in regard to being
Catholic in any culture. This crystal is a trademark of the city, and they make
beautiful pieces in the churches where they reside.
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Example: They're harder to see, but can you see the random crystal chandeliers
in a more contemporarily built church?
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As a missionary, I have been challenged to remember that I’m
not here to shoot down the culture. I am not here to try to break it down and
demean it. However, I am here to help people encounter Jesus in a way they have
not before. Some things in a culture do make that harder, but perhaps it just
emphasizes a need for Jesus. On the other hand, what is good within the culture
I’m working? The culture I’m encountering here, while post-Catholic, has a
bigger concern for the individual than what I’m used to in the United States.
That is something good; in fact, it is Holy. So, I need to help people see how
that can be incorporated into the Catholic Church. Because since it is good, it
is of God. And, like the Waterford Crystal, it belongs in His home.
Thank you for reading! Our first retreat as a team is on
October 9th, so please pray for myself, my team, and the students!
