As I prepare to leave tomorrow for my Holy Land Pilgrimage, I will be carrying each of you in my heart and in my prayers. I also wanted to take something along from the parish to be blessed at a very special spot — the area where Jesus’ body was laid as it was prepared for the tomb. Many people bring items to be blessed to this spot and I wanted to bring something from us that would be meaningful. I thought and thought about this and finally this past Sunday, in conversation with someone, the idea came to me! I knew it had to be from our altar, since that’s where we connect to the risen Christ is such a fundamental way and it is the moment in the service that we live out of the rest of the week.
This is what I’m taking:
It’s the veil (the cloth which covers the chalice on the altar) that was made from Gretchen Kitts’ wedding dress. To me it represents the interweaving of our lives with the life of Christ. Gretchen offered her wedding dress as a way, I imagine, to share the joy, commitment, and life-long love of her marriage to the God who offers us all those things as well (joy, commitment, and life-long love). Thank you, Gretchen, for your gift offered to the parish many years ago. It will be carried with me to the Holy Land and blessed.