Saturday, June 29, 2013

Bread from Heaven

We visited many beautiful churches while we were in France.  I particularly enjoyed this because of all the church history I've absorbed while reading Butler's Lives of the Saints the past year.   The oldest church we entered was founded in the year 543, making it 1,470 years old.  It is named St. Germain-des-Pres, named after a Bishop of Paris.  The church was built on the other side of a pasture from the kings palace, 'des pres' .  Christians have been worshiping God there many centuries as they still do today.   The famous Notre Dame Cathedral is celebrating it's 850th anniversary this year.  We attended Mass three times at St. Martin's in the village we stayed in.  We even got to have coffee with two priests, a nun, and some fellow parishioners in the church kitchen after a mid-week morning Mass.  There is a bond we have as fellow Christians that supersedes language barriers.
view of Notre Dame in Paris

Mass at St. Martin's in St. Remy

The tall doors of St. Martin's.

Gazing at the statue of St.Remy atop St. Martin's.