Embrace the ancient and new
To the editor:
“Late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient, and so new.” Saint Augustine of Hippo
My wife and I had the privilege to attend Mass at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. This relatively new church building combined both the old and the new into a magnificent place of worship. Parishioners surround the altar as the one body of Christ. Beautiful icons and statues adorn the church, but the focus was always on the magnificent crucifix behind the altar.
The liturgy combined Gregorian chant with contemporary songs, which lift people’s hearts in praise and worship to God. During holy Communion, parishioners were allowed the freedom to receive the body of Christ on their knees or by standing. It was a beautiful experience of the ancient and the new in our Catholic faith.
Later that day my wife and I hiked on one of the numerous trails in Kettle Moraine State Park. God gently spoke to my heart as I admired the beautiful trees that were all around me. Just as the roots of the mighty oak provide water and nourishment to the tree, and the branches and leaves provide new life and energy to the tree, so the Church today must embrace the ancient and the new. Eliminating one or the other causes the Church to slowly die. Embracing the ancient and the new allows for the beauty of Jesus, and his body to thrive and grow. Embracing the ancient and the new allows Mary’s yes to become our yes. Embracing the ancient and the new allows for the love and beauty of God to become flesh within us. Embracing the ancient and the new allows the world to experience love and beauty through the body of Christ.
Mike Gannon
St. Joseph Parish,
Milford, Iowa
(Former member of St. Thomas More Parish, Coralville)
