Our Lady Of Lourdes - April 5, 2010

The day after Easter, I chose to visit one of the churches that my mother had taken me when I was just a little girl.  Our Lady of Lourdes (OLL) is located about five miles east of Indy's city center in a suburb known as Irvington.  In its heyday, Irvington was an elite community that was home to artists and academics.  Butler University even found its home in Irvington for a while.  In recent years the area has enjoyed a resurgence as area homes are being restored to their previous glory by new owners who seek to preserve the integrity of Irvington's historic architecture.  When the suburb was first founded, it was meant to be a quiet retreat, miles away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.  Today on East Washington Street, the main drag in Irvington, the sleepy suburb is very much a part of the metro area.  As I stepped inside the church I felt a calm that had eluded me just moments before as sirens and traffic blared, and the smell of diesel fuel from the city buses hung in the balmy spring air.

Upon entering the sanctuary on the west side of the building (the front doors were locked), I noticed that the lights were not on, but I wasn't bothered by this, as the shadows helped to place me in the prayerful mood that I was searching for.  Even the prayer candles had been extinguished, and the only light I enjoyed was the natural light that streamed through the stained glass windows, which were more beautiful than I could possibly have photographed.  The Easter lilies were still in the sanctuary, and their fragrance filled the air. 

Right away I noticed the artistry and workmanship in the detail of the woodwork in the space--in the carvings of the pulpit, altar, and the recurring Gothic pointed arch which led my eye upward...

I found myself drawn to the fresco which was to the right (west) of the altar (pictured above), because the image of Mary was somehow more inviting for prayer on Easter Monday than the image of Christ hanging on the cross.  Music helps to put me in a prayerful mood, and I searched for sacred music on my phone using Pandora.  As you know, Pandora randomly chooses songs based on a particular genre or artist that one selects.  Quite by coincidence, the song that played was "In Remembrance," which my daughter's choir had sung a year or so before.  I have included the lyrics here, and have added this music to a slide show, so that others can vicariously experience my visit to OLL.   The lyrics are so significant and appropriate to Easter--the part of the year in which we as Christians celebrate the risen Christ.  That--through His sacrifice two thousand years ago, we might have eternal life.  Perhaps it was not a coincidence at all that this music popped up on my phone...

I hope you enjoy the slide show.  Click the link below to be taken to the YouTube page.

Our Lady Of Lourdes Video Tour

"In Remembrance"

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there.  I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.


Attributed to Mary Elizabeth Frye

The Project-Finding God in Indianapolis Worship Spaces

So, I am listening to the Easter sermon today at my home church, St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Pastor Kent Millard discussed the fact that we don't know God or can't find God these days because we are simply not present.  You know the old expression that "you have to be present to win."  Well, he explained that one has to be present--aware--conscious--to find God and know Him.


Today we are masters of multi-tasking.  We are always doing something: texting, emailing, talking on the cell phone, listening to the iPod, etc.  We are so busy always doing, that we don't take time to simply be present and allow God into the mess that our minds become.  I for one am guilty of always doing, and actually resist simply being still and present to listen to God to come into my life.


My dad has often said that he finds God in nature.  He finds Him in a sunset, a Sarasota beach, or a hummingbird in his backyard.  My mother enjoyed nature too, but she found God in churches, and she would consciously take my brothers and me into area churches in Indianapolis to sit and pray and be present with God.  We were Baptists, but the churches that she was drawn to were Catholic, interestingly enough--like St. Mark's on the southside, or Our Lady of Lourdes in Irvington.  The times I remember visiting these churches with Mother, it had not been a planned event.  She simply needed a break from her hectic life as a wife, mother, and school teacher, so that she could be still and be present with God.  I can appreciate nature, and it is wonderful that Daddy finds God in nature, but my idea of camping is making reservations at the Holiday Inn.  No, I am more like my mother; the times that I have felt closest to God have been in church sanctuaries.  As I pass by churches in my area, I have often wanted to stop and visit and find God in the spaces that were specifically designed and built for prayer and worship, but I have always found an excuse not to stop.  However, now I am on a mission: to be present and know God.


My project this summer:  To find God in Indianapolis worship spaces so that I can be present with Him and know Him .  In my part-time job as a real estate professional, I regularly  travel throughout the Indy metro area, and this summer,  I will visit area worship spaces (as God is non-denominational and inter-faith), and explore these places of worship in my desire to be present and know God.  My daughter will photograph and video when possible, and I will blog about my experiences in these worship spaces.  Come along on the journey with me, so that we can draw near to God together.  I look forward to your questions and comments.