Omnes Sancti et Sanctæ Coreæ, orate pro nobis.

Now Blogging Afresh at Ad Orientem 西儒 - The Western Confucian



Monday, September 05, 2005

Thanks be to God...

and to the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the prayers of the saints, my family, friends, and readers of this blog: our daughter Joy is doing amazingly well! She is now in Chico, California with my wife and son, staying at my parents' house for continued therapy. I have returned to Korea for work.

We arrived in the great city of Saint Louis, named for the great crusader King Louis IX of France, and on the way into the city from the airport were greeted by a billboard proclaiming the following: Having had visited her shrine in Mexico City twice (both times as a pre-Catholic, including once on my honeymoon), and having had placed into her blessed hands Joy's care in a special way, I saw this as yet another providential sign of Our Lord's leading us to Saint Louis. For the sake of Joy's privacy, I will not describe the medical happenings of the month we spent in Saint Louis, but let it suffice to say that I saw God's hands at work through his chosen earthly instruments.

Saint Louis is, of course, a very Catholic city. Spires rise from every corner of the city. Some of its churches are quite old, by American standards, like the Basilica of Saint Louis, King, known as the "Old Catherdral," which was dedicated in 1834 and served as the mother church of a diocese that at the time stretched north to the Canadian border, south to Louisiana, and west to Oregon. This neo-classical and thus very American-looking church was right around the corner from where we were staying, and I went there for several daily masses.

Our first Sunday mass was at Saint Mary's of the Barrens, home of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, in Perryville, Missouri. Our pastor here in Korea had blessed us with a gift of Italian copies of the Miraculous Medal before we made our journey, another providential sign.

Several times we visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, the "New Cathedral," home to the world's largest collection of mosaics and perhaps the most beutiful church I've ever visited.

Almost as beautiful materially, but with a Latin Mass of unparalled beauty, was the St. Francis de Sales Oratory, administered by the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest. This is, of course, the parish I would join were I a resident of Saint Louis.

Another church of interest, also with a Latin Mass, was the Holy Family Parish, in Illinois, a two-hundred year old log-cabin structure built by the French.

We also visited two Marian shrines. The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, also in Illinois, was a bit modernistic for my tastes, but it had one of the best American restaurants I've ever eaten at and an excellent playground that my daughter loved. The other shrine was more rustic; The Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos in Eureka, Missouri was hand-built by a brother from Poland and dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa.

We did not spend all of our time (or in my opinion enough of our time) in churches; Saint Louis is a very family-oriented city, and there are many things there to keep young kids busy, like the Saint Louis Zoo, Grant's Farm, and The Magic House. These, and other attractions, make Saint Louis and ideal place for a family vacation.

My mother was with us during our stay in Saint Louis, and we were visited not only by my father, but also by two aunts, an uncle, and a cousin, giving my wife and kids their first chance to meet some of my relatives from the East before heading back to California.

The highlight of my last week in California was a visit to the homestead of Hallowed Ground's Jeff Culbreath, meeting his beautiful family, and enjoying their hospitality. The Culbreaths live as Catholics should live, and our visit to their home was truly inspiring. Our two-year old Joy even thought she was in a church! I pray it will not be the last visit and feel reasonably sure that it will not, as my friend Jeff's path and mine have crossed many times before in churches and denominations before this our first meeting.

The lowpint of my stay in the US was watching the tragic events unfold in New Orleans; Κύριε, ελέησον. Here's where we can help: Your Catholic Voice Foundation - Online Donation Form.