Saturday, February 27, 2016

The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same

I don't remember the first time I heard the saying, "The more things change, the more they remain the same," but I've found it to be true several times in my life.

Take last Sunday morning, for example.

My sister Kathleen and I were returning from a mini-writing retreat on Fripp Island, South Carolina, where we were guests of my generous and gracious writing friend, Berta Rosenberg. During our three-day visit, we had a wonderful time: catching up, sharing family stories, writing, talking about writing, doing a writing exercise, walking on the beach, eating new foods, and relaxing.

After saying goodbye to Berta, as we drove from Fripp and headed toward Beaufort, Kathleen and I discussed the possibility of finding a church so we could attend Sunday Mass. Being in an unfamiliar town, we didn't know where that might be.

But I had a plan. I had visited the cathedral in Savannah a few years ago, so I thought we could stop in Savannah on our way home and hope to catch a service there.

First, I was on a mission to find South Carolina tee-shirts for my grandkids. Berta told us we might find some at the Walgreen's in Beaufort, so that was our first stop. No luck. A cashier told us we might find some tee-shirts at a sporting goods store across the street. After making a wrong turn out of Walgreen's, I made a U-turn and followed a line of cars which veered off to the left into a parking lot. (I later found out the sporting goods store was on the right.)

Can you guess where the cars were headed? Into the parking lot of St. Peter's Catholic Church on Lady Island Drive in Beaufort. My sister and I read the church's sign, looked at each other, and decided divine providence had a hand in my making a wrong turn. "It was meant to be," we said in unison, and headed inside the lovely church, where Mass was to begin in seven minutes.

Even more surprising was that the Mass was a Latin high Mass, complete with incense, three priests celebrating, and several altar servers. Sitting in the pew I flashed back to my high school days wearing a chapel veil for Mass, which was celebrated in Latin until Junior year when the Church switched to English.

After leaving Beaufort we headed home, with a side trip in Savannah for lunch. We stopped at a casual restaurant on Bay Street and had a spinach salad and a mouth-watering 77 Monte Carlo sandwich, which was topped with powdered sugar. It was like eating French toast with ham and turkey inside.

From there, we walked off lunch until we found the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Harris Street. A police officer stood at the front door informing visitors know Mass was in session. We were welcome to come inside but not for a tour until Mass was complete. Kathleen and I ventured inside and found a pew in the back of the magnificent cathedral. My ears perked up when I heard the priest conducting the Mass in Latin. Families attended, with moms and young girls wearing chapel veils.

So, within the span of a few hours, we had attended not one but two Latin Masses, where women wore chapel veils.

The more things change . . .




19 comments:

  1. House interesting this post is!!! So glad for you and this trip...sounds lovely and I have only been in the area once but enjoyed it so! Thanks for taking me again. Mass in Latin...amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was lots of fun. A long drive, but well worth it. The Mass was so serene.

      Delete
  2. Sounds like you ladies had a wonderful time. It's lovely to not have a set agenda and stop wherever the mood strikes. Looking forward to hearing more!

    Pat
    Critter Alley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Pat,
      It was very relaxing. Tuesday I'll fill you in on the details, and I can't wait to see photos of your new grandson.

      Delete
  3. No coincidences.

    I hope you found the t-shirts, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree it wasn't a coincidence. And I didn't find any t-shirts. Guess I'll have to make another trip. ;-)

      Delete
  4. Donna--How is Berta? Hopefully she's writing up a storm and enjoying her life.

    It sounds like a wonderful trip for you and your sister. (And I'm with Val. I hope you found some t-shirts before you headed back St. Louis.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sioux,
      Berta is fine. We didn't find any tee/shirts but did find some hats.

      Delete
  5. It sounds like you had a wonderful time, and yes, I think it was divine providence, too. Did Berta move there?

    ReplyDelete
  6. It sounds like you had a wonderful time, and yes, I think it was divine providence, too. Did Berta move there?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We did have a wonderful time. We had a guardian angel looking out for us during the trip. Berta moved to Florida.

      Delete
  7. Don't you love those serendipitous happenings in our lives? And your writing retreat sounds heavenly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Patricia,
      It was a special time--both the "accidental" turning into the church parking lot and the retreat.

      Delete
    2. Donna, did you know there's a church in Wentzville that has Latin Masses? I keep telling myself I'm going to attend one sometime. I loved High Masses when I was a little girl...and weren't the ones without music called Low Mass? As my brother always used to say, "When the Catholic Church changed Mass from Latin to English, they took all the soul away." (he didn't mean a person's soul!) OH, and what a fabulous trip and retreat you had!

      Delete
    3. Hi Becky,
      I knew about a Latin Mass at St. Barnabus in O'Fallon but didn't know about one in Wentzville. It was a spiritual experience. The retreat was fun. Berta looks great and it was a special time doing readings.

      Delete
  8. Serendipity, twice! What a delightful trip you had!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ah, those orchestrated coincidences! lol

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip in more than one way!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Lisa, Marcia, and Lynn,
    It was a great trip. That part of the country is so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete

Mysteries of the Ozarks, Volume V - Interviews with Lonnie Whitaker and Dr. Barri Bumgarner

Here is the second installment of interviews with contributors who have stories in Mysteries of the Ozarks, Volume V , from Ozark Writers, I...