Closing the past

When my parents moved to our first house we joined a parish that we stayed with until I was in college, but even though my family weren't always members, it is a place that we've always had a connection with, and not just with the building. As with any church, what makes it special is the community of people and you can't find a better community than at Our Mother of Sorrows parish.

OMS was both a church and a grade school, where I went for grades 1-8, and the school closed a few years back. On Sunday, the church closed its doors for good. They had a closing mass to say goodbye to a place that for many of us held a lifetime of good memories. There were about ten priests present, along with all the local news people, and hundreds of people, both current and past parishioners.

Kevin and the kids joined me on this day, even though the place holds nothing significant for them, other than the fact that we hang out today with many of the people I met because of the parish.

I'm not sure what's going to happen to the building. Most Catholic communities need the money and so it'll probably be sold off to the highest bidder. Everywhere I turn there are hidden memories and it's sad to know that it's possible that this will all be gone soon.

After the mass they had a reception where there were boards set up depicting a timeline with pictures of parishioners and students, and the evolution of the building itself. They even gave out little posters that had "now and then" pictures. A very nice keepsake.

Charlie and J.T.

I realize that things cannot stay the same, so even though I'm holding on to all the great memories of my past, I'm looking forward to making new memories with my family at the wonderful community we now belong to!