For my architectural assignment I photographed the outside of St Brendan’s church here in Rosemont. For this assignment I contacted Father Paul to see if I could do my photo essay on him and his Parish. We arranged to meet at the rectory to meet and discuss the matter further. This past semester I have been contemplating and reaching out to the community around me in Rosemont, an area where I have lived since the age of 10. I attended St Brendan’s school and had done my confirmation at St Brendan’s church. In many ways although this is a story about Father Paul and St. Brendan’s church, it is also my story as I retrace my spiritual roots and rediscover the communities that I once attended and continue to flourish with the next generation.
When I met with Father Paul to introduce myself I told him that I had attended sporadically, and that was due to my Mother who wanted to make sure her grandchildren were exposed to the church community. What stood out for me was Father Paul’s charisma and how his sermon’s were always delivered from the heart with passion and wisdom. St Brendan’s is a vibrant community with many young families that attend with their children. These were some of the reasons why I felt attracted to do my story on St Brendan’s.
Father Paul and I had agreed that I would photograph a special mass on the 5th Sunday of Lent. It was an afternoon mass for the parents and children that were going to do their First Confirmation. This mass was to be co-hosted by another visiting priest and was meant to go over the rituals of the mass and their meaning. This proved to be a good review for myself; I learned that the reason they put a drop of water into the sacramental wine was because one drop cannot be separated from the wine and yet does not dilute the whole.
In short, this is a story about a Catholic mass and the ritual of Holy Communion delivered by 2 priests, and that is what I have tried to depict in the 6 images allowed for this assignment. If one was to see the bigger picture, which will be posted on my main photo blog, you will see more of the community and the Easter tradition. I have also photographed the Palm Sunday Mass at Saint Bonifatius in Father Gerry Westphal’s parish, and a re-enactment of the Crucifixion at St.Mary’s Polish church.
