An Aid To Memory

Last week, Jennifer, Jonathan, Carmel, and I visited Mount Airy, North Carolina, the birthplace of Andy Griffith. The fictional town of Mayberry seems to be based on Mount Airy, although there are obvious differences between the two. Mount Airy plays up the connection to Mayberry, and has regular “Mayberry Days” festivals. Many of the businesses are named after Andy Griffith Show characters or places. I thoroughly enjoy the Andy Griffith Show (I own all the DVDs), and I found Mount Airy fascinating because of the connection, although it stands out as a nice, little town in its own right. Many of the locals seem to like the connection to the show, although some prefer to emphasize the historic Mount Airy (home to the first “Siamese” twins, among other things). Here are some photos I took on our trip (with explanations):

This image is a replica of Wally’s Service Station, where Gomer and Goober Pyle (as well as Goober’s gal, Flora) worked.

This is a photo of Jennifer and I sitting at Sheriff Taylor’s desk, in the replica of the Mayberry Courthouse.

This is the Blue Bird Diner, started in the 1990s, and named after the diner mentioned in the show where Barney’s occasional love-interest Juanita works. I asked our waitress how often customers ask for Juanita. She said, “oh, about every other customer” in a wearied voice.

This is the Snappy Lunch, mentioned in a first season episode on the show. Andy visited this restaurant as a boy. The owner, Charles Dowell, is still around today. We met him when we visited. They are famous for their pork chop sandwich: deep fried pork chop, slaw, chili, onions, mustard, and tomato!

This wall showcases Mt. Airy attractions.

This is a view of the outlying, newly-developed, areas of Mount Airy. Perhaps Mayberry would have a modern area like this, if it were a real town.

North Carolina is seeing many new vineyards and wineries spring up, especially as the importance of tobacco declines. This image is from the Shelton Vineyard, outside of Mount Airy.

This is a cell in the actual (old) jail of Mount Airy. They no longer use it today. It just isn’t quite the same as Mayberry, and I can’t imagine Otis actually enjoying his stay here!

I had a great weekend; what can I say? Jennifer came to visit me, and we did all kinds of things. We went out to eat on Friday, and on Saturday went to the Our Lady of Consolation Shrine in the afternoon. Then we went to Saturday evening Mass, followed by watching my school’s high school football team. We left that at half-time because it was raining. We got a bite to eat a Mexican restaurant called “Mi Jalapeno.” It was great! In fact we ate there the next night too.

On Sunday we went to the nearest state park, which is about 20 minutes away. They have a beach area there where I took the photos below. Now it is back to old grind of course, but a good weekend always makes the week go better.

The photos below are of Jennifer, her feet, and two friends walking on the beach (I have no idea who they are).

I just got back from vacation. Jonathan, Jennifer, and I went to Sandusky, OH, the home of Cedar Point, which has some of the highest and fastest rollercoasters on the planet. We visited Cedar Point the last day of our vacation, and went to their water park during the day, and then in the evening to the regular park. Thanks to some anonymous girls who offered us their buy-one-get-one-free coupon, we got in for a really great price. God bless you girls, whoever you may be.

The first two days of our vacation, we went to Toft’s Dairy, the Sandusky Fish Company, Firelands Winery, Mon Ami Winery, Sorrowful Mother Shrine, among other interesting places. I am not always into “touristy” stuff, and prefer a more low-key vacation where I can just chill out and enjoy myself, and this vacation was perfect in this regard. I ended up buying a wi-fi card for my laptop and had fun surfing the net at the hotel. I was supposed to get work done, but I am sure you know how much that usually happens!

It is good to be back though. The cats and my parents were waiting for me, as well as some vitamins and a replacement cord for my laptop I desparately needed. Now it’s time to get down to the real world: moving, setting up a classroom, etc.

Yesterday I visited Ohio University, to watch a high school basketball game of all things. Jennifer and I went, along with my immediate family. I gave Jennifer a tour of the campus and I even visited Ellis Hall (where my Classics and Philosophy classes were) and my old dorm. Funny thing is that the dorm smells exactly the same as it did back then. Honestly, I had a rush of nostalgia, like I should be walking up the stairs with my cousin Bill and my brother, and some other friends, checking in at the dorm before we headed out for dinner. I liked my Ohio University days. I kind of miss being on campus. Since I visited on a Sunday, hardly anybody was out and about, but it still felt like it used to.

I enjoyed my undergrad days more than my time at grad school. I went to a mainline Protestant seminary for grad school, where the program was a mix of politically correct Academics and emotional reflection. Fortunately I did not enter into the MDiv program…I can only "process" so many feelings in one day and tolerate only so much trendiness in my worship. I met a lot of good friends there, and some of them have blogs I visit regularly, but I was just uncomfortable with my environment…not academically rigorous nor orthodox. I can take either one, or preferably a mix, but not something in between.

On a side note, Jennifer and I visited St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Athens. They had some great materials on Natural Family Planning and Catholic morality, not to mention signs encouraging Eucharistic adoration. Jennifer jokingly said, "see what you missed," referring to the fact that I wasn’t Catholic at the time, but rather struggling to find a church where I fit in. I hope to go back soon on a weekday to meet up with some friends.

Today, Jonathan and Jennifer and I went to The Maria Stein Center Shrine of the Holy Relics. We all had a three-day weekend, and hadn’t taken a road trip for awhile, so it seemed natural to take off for an afternoon.

We thought we would look for a new shrine, and we found the one mentioned above. Maria Stein is actually the name of a town, meaning Mary’s rock. It is a small-town in Western Ohio settled by German-Catholic immigrants. I prefer visiting shrines in small towns, simply because of the scenery surrounding the shrine, and the drive is often easier.

This particular shrine has around 1,000 relics. For those unfamiliar with relics, they are bones or other body parts of saints, or items that have touched a saint’s body. If you want to see the incarnation in action (God becoming man and its implications), relics fit the bill. In fact, many people are a bit squeamish at the idea of even looking at the relics of saints, let alone touching them. I am even a bit weirded out by them at times. However, I just keep reminding myself that they are gritty reminders of the enfleshment of God in Christ, and that just as apostles’ shadows and handkerchiefs performed miracles, so too may God use relics for miraculous purposes.

The photos show a few of the statues from the grounds. The upper left is photo is of  the Blessed Virgin Mary. The right photo is of St. Robert Bellarmine. The photo on the lower left is of a relic of St. Hilary, my patron saint. To give you an idea of the size, the glass case is about the size of a quarter. Whether or not this is an actual relic of Saint Hilary I don’t know. It is possible. I am not sure what body part it is. The relics are all so tiny that it is hard to get close to them to see what they are, even if you could make it out once you got close. I suspect it is a piece of bone.

Well, we had yet another great shrine visit. The good things about being a Catholic, is that your road-trips double as meaningful spiritual moments.
It is always better when shared with friends.

Jonathan has blogged about our recent trip to the Our Lady of Consolation Shrine in Carey, Ohio. I have been there 4 times now, and consider it a second spiritual home so-to-speak. I am even a member of their confraternity.

The trip was fairly long; neither Jonathan nor I live too close to Carey. We of course began by getting some Speedway coffee. I mixed a little mint chocolate chip cappuccino in with the Colombian coffee. Then we drove in the rain most of the way. By the time we reached Carey, the rain had stopped. The sky was still overcast, as can be seen in the photo to the left.

When we arrived, we stopped at the bookstore. I didn’t buy anything, because I just paid for a nice digital camera. Then we went to confession. The priest was, in my opinion, a great confessor. After this, we walked to the Our Lady of Consolation park, where I took the image to the left of Mary and Jesus. This image is the statue at the top of a dome in the center of the park. The statue is a good 70-100 feet in the air. I had to use zoom to get in this close.

Next we returned to the Church and began our prayers. We prayed the rosary in the lower level of the Basilica. The parish, especially the lower level, smells very good because of the number of candles there. I haven’t prayed the rosary in awhile, mainly because the Liturgy of the Hours is my devotion of choice. However, it was nice to pray it that day, and it was appropriate because I was visiting a Marian shrine. Below, there are many altars, including the All Souls altar (right photo) and an altar with Jesus buried (left).

After this, we went to Mass in the Basilica. It was beautiful. The music and setting reminded me of the way Catholic Mass should be, and used to be universally. It was a fitting way to end yet another pilgrimage. For even more details visit Jonathan’s entry.

On a side note, autumn is breaking out all over right now. In about a week or two, it will be at its most beautiful. I took the photo to the right at the Carey park, showing that Fall is on its way!

The official site is www.olcshrine.com

Jennifer and I recently decided to visit the Our Lady of Consolation Shrine on the way home from a visit to Northern Ohio. I am just getting around to blogging about it today. We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon, just wanting to make our way around the shrine and stop at the bookstore. We arrived just in time to join the Confraternity of Our Lady of Consolation, which consists of saying a prayer during a worship service at the shrine, and agreeing to live out our baptismal vows more faithfully and fully. We also arrived just in time for a rosary walk around the town of Carey. A rosary walk is when a group of people recite the rosary while walking around an area. The procession was led by a brother carrying a cross and a statue of Mary. Jennifer blogged about the day here and shares a novena prayer from the Shine prayer book.

In addition, the brothers brought out pieces of the True Cross, and we walked up to receive a blessing from them while they pressed the piece of the Cross against our foreheads. Overall, the day was a blessing, and if you are ever in the northern Ohio area, the shrine is well worth visiting.

Image from: http://www.olcshrine.com/

Jonathan and I visited the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC this past weekend. Jonathan has provided many details about our trip to the shrine on his blog. My account will of course be similar.

Driving to DC was relatively easy, and the scenery was beautiful as we drove through the mountains. We brought along 4 Bill Mallonee / Vigilantes of Love CDs, and listened to them most of the trip. I admit to going almost 85 mph most of the way through the mountains of Maryland…those downhills are just too exciting. Driving in DC was a royal pain. I was glad Jonathan did that.

We arrived at the shrine too late for mass, so we went and bought some things at the gift shop. I bought a few things for me and presents for others. Then we went to the crypt area, visiting the various altars there.

Then we visited the upper areas, where there were even more altars and prayer areas. I was impressed by the great number of altars dedicated to Mary and Jesus that reflect other cultures. We saw Polish, Lithuanian, Mexican, and African related altars among others. The shrine also had a strong Eastern Catholic influence, which I enjoyed.

Overall, I had a great trip. The last time I visited a shrine, I really needed guidance, and the visit helped me see a few things much more clearly. This pilgrimage was done under better circumstances, but still the prayer and discernment I received was much needed. Once again, to all my readers, I highly suggest visiting a shrine and coming with an attitude of prayer and discernment. Plus, you can start a holy water collection from the various shrines!

Photos: Jonathan Bennett

My brother and I recently visited Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, Ohio. Jonathan has some photos posted also, and will be posting a detailed diary of our pilgrimage. I thought I would post a few photos and a little bit about our trip.

First, we began the day by stopping at the bank (we had to have money to buy Catholic books and future sacramentals!), and then, of course, we stopped for some Speedway Coffee, since we were close to earning coffee using their Speedy Rewards program. Note: Despite what you may read here, stopping at Speedway is not an official part of the pilgrimage process!!

Anyway, Colombian coffee with Hazelnut creamer in hand, we began the drive to Bellevue. The drive was very peaceful, and fairly scenic and rural, taking us through plenty of small-towns with mom and pop stores. When we pulled into Bellevue, I was amazed what a nice, quiet rural shrine it was (see the left photo of part of the grounds). I think it will be great to visit again on a better day, when it isn’t so cold, and some of the green has returned to the face of the earth.

First, we went to the gift shop. I bought a few prayer books, a rose-scented rosary, and a holy water container for the shrine holy water. Then we walked to the various grottoes and places of the shrine. There were numerous areas, including an Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, and one dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. There were so many places to see that we got a lot of exercise just walking the grounds. A few of my favorite places were the memorial to the unborn (pictured right) and the Sepulcher, Christ’s tomb (below left). Note that some pious pilgrim has placed a jacket over Jesus’ body.

After visiting many of the grottoes and statues on the grounds, we ended the day prayer at the Chapel and  completed the day with Mass. I prayed the Chaplet of the Precious Blood, and started a Novena to the Sorrowful Mother, in addition to offering other prayers before the Blessed Sacrament. The Chapel was beautiful, the homily excellent, and (as always) receiving the body and blood of Christ was amazing.

As dusk approached, we finished the day with some Speedway coffee and some fish sandwiches at McDonalds (since it was a self-imposed fast day for both of us). Pilgrimages are always meaningful, and I urge everyone to work one in. You need not travel to Rome or the Holy Land to take a pilgrimage. You may even find that there are many shrines near you. Many aren’t even very well-known, but they are there.

Yes, there is an Oxford, Ohio, just in case you are wondering. I know it exists; I was there yesterday. Oxford is the home of Miami University of Ohio, a quality University that is the rival of my Alma mater, Ohio University. It was actually a pretty big day for my brother and I, because we finally got to meet an online friend of ours in person. That friend is David Morrison, who has written quite a few articles for our main sites (ancient-future.net and churchyear.net), including his most popular "Constantine: Founder of the Catholic Church?".

Jonathan and I set out early, not finding a Speedway until about an hour into the trip, but we did manage to eventually get our Speedway coffee and thanks to my "Speedy Rewards" card, we got a free coffee. We met David at the Bob Evans in Oxford, and chatted there for about 2 hours, over coffee and fish and chips. Then we drove onto the Miami University campus, and looked around at a few bookstores. Next we visited the St. Mary Catholic Church and prayed before the blessed Sacrament. The priest walked in while we were praying, and David and I went to the sacrament of reconciliation. I remarked to the priest that I was thankful he would confess an Ohio University graduate, and he joked that he could never refuse the sacrament to an OU grad because we especially needed the sacrament.

After praying briefly after confession, we walked down the street, and David wanted to check out the Episcopal church, since he had visited there once 25 years ago. We walked in and lying on a table was a copy of "Enriching Our Worship" the blueprint for the future of Episcopal worship. "Enriching Our Worship" is about as politically correct and non-traditional as public prayer can get, and David wanted to leave quickly.

We spent some time at Wendy’s, then returned to St Mary’s Student Center. The place was packed, and it was really nice to see hundreds of young people gathered for Mass. Those of you familiar with my conversion story, will remember that I left a "contemporary" church, and the flaky music was one reason, so at first I was a little worried when I saw a setup that resembled this. Even though the music was provided by what I would call a "praise band," with a flautist and violinist, it was well-done and provided a meaningful Lenten environment. Actually, I was extremely impressed and wanted to tell the musicians afterward what a great job they had done. The homily was nice, and (as always) receiving the body and blood of Christ was great! I was just so excited to see a well-done and well-attended Mass on campus, since I have heard horror stories about Catholic campus Masses, and know from firsthand experience that Episcopalians go even more flaky when you get them on a campus. I really enjoy days like these.