-—I go back as a total Papist, lol! It’s the most beautiful, the most intellectual of the Christian faiths. It is very much an aesthetic with me, as well as a faith.-—
We need you back to help fight off the banner and balloon people!
I sympathize with you. But I’ve learned some things by sticking with our local parish. At our parish, the leading banner and balloon lady is also our hardest working parishioner. I imagine her aesthetic sense was shaped in the sixties. And our feminist, former-nun, DRE (sounds like a nightmare, right?) is dedicated, soft-hearted, and an adoptive mother.
So... I’m not sure what my point is, but there is something to be said for living in community. It rounds our edges. I’ve learned a lot. And had I sat out the last 15 years, I would have missed some unforgettable moments. I love my parish. Ok, I said it ;-)
Hah! I didn’t know they were called “banner and balloon” people! That’s so funny.
I sometimes go to the Latin Mass at St. Agnes here in NYC. Although the beautiful old church burned down, it was rebuilt as a replica. The locals all contributed to buy replacement statues of Mary and some of the saints; they are not as beautiful as the originals but they are very touching.
These quiet Latin Masses seem to draw a wonderful type of Catholic - some simply exude holiness. I find it very calming after the tumult of NYC!
I wonder if there is a way to educate your beloved parishioner in the arts? She sounds great and with a little tweaking, maybe she could become an advocate for a return to the beauties of pre-Vatican II art.