Tacos!: St. Anne's Catholic Church, Sunday July 13th, 8:30am

St. Anne's Church, Santa Monica, CA

I usually don’t go to the early masses. For one, I like to sleep in. For another, most of the people seem like they’re still half asleep. But I had places to be on this Sunday and I had no other choice. 

I was excited to go to this church because I had heard about it several times. So I followed my GPS and I pulled into the parking lot. From here though I didn’t know where to go. None of the buildings were distinctly church-like. Luckily, someone else pulled into the parking lot behind me and I was able to follow them where I needed to go.

The fountain with the outdoor
church in the background

I walked through this large courtyard, past an outdoor church area (where I almost wished Mass would be held instead of inside), a fountain, and a school. Most Catholic churches in LA have a school attached so I knew I was headed in the right direction. Side note: the school had a really beautiful painting of the California Missions on the side of the building. It’s customary for every grade school kid in California to write a report about one of the missions at some point in their education, so it was nice to see a great painting of all of them on the wall. 

The California Missions painting on
the side of the school

I continued through the courtyard and eventually came to the end. It was a large open area. To my left was a cafeteria/food stand area where women were chatting and preparing food. Obviously the church wasn’t that way. To my right was a building that looked like a large party hall with an open door. It didn’t look like the entrance to the church, but it was really my only option so I walked over. Lo and behold, it was the church.

The inside looked as nondescript as the outside. It literally looked like someone took a large party hall, put some pews and an altar inside and called it a church. (Turns out there was a front door and I came through the back. Though the front door was pretty tucked away and if you weren’t looking for it you might pass right by it.) 

The interior of St. Anne's

Along one of the walls was a shrine and piled around it were flowers and candles of all kinds. This was an interesting and welcome addition to the church; it felt as if this church held some special significance because of the shrine’s presence. 

The church was very quiet but quite full. It almost seemed as if everyone was still trying to wake up, but of course, maybe that was just me projecting. In any case, it was a chill crowd. No one was too loud ever during the Mass and not many people sang when it came time to do so. As far as the music went, it was pretty simple: a couple cantors, a piano, an acoustic guitar, and a violin playing mostly traditional songs.

The wall where the shrine sat, piled with flowers.

The priest was African and had a strong accent but you could still understand him. You might have missed a word here and there, but it wasn’t a problem for the most part. For his homily, he talked about the history of the book of Isaiah and how it was believed that there were actually three authors that wrote the book of Isaiah. The Isaiah writing this particular Sunday’s reading (read all the readings from this Sunday HERE) was written from captivity. The entirety of the Jewish people were living under the captivity of…Babylon? The Greeks? I can’t remember. The Jewish people were held captive a lot. ANYWAY, this Isaiah author, the priest said, was writing words of comfort to the Jewish people and urging them to be strong and trust in God. 

The mass unfolded pretty normally. Nothing too exciting to report. It was still Mass, and it was still beautiful, but a Mass at St. Anne’s felt like the Masses I’ve been to a million times before. There WAS an announcement that there would be a taco bar after Mass, but I had to head to a meeting so I was sadly unable to indulge.

All in all, St. Anne’s was pretty standard. It had some unique things to look at and experience, but the experience as a whole didn’t make too much of an impact. I do think that if I return and attend a Mass that’s not so early there might be a little more energy, but I can’t say for sure. I definitely hope they make use of their outdoor church space; I would most certainly return for that as I would love to have Mass outside amongst God’s creation. 

In any case, I think I’d only go back to St. Anne’s if they did have an outdoor Mass. Not to say that the church wasn’t lovely, the people weren’t kind and welcoming, or the worship was bad. It just wasn’t quite my cup of tea. Though I am glad I went. And I might be back to visit and learn more about the shrine.

Learn more about St. Anne’s at their website: http://www.stanneshrine.org

Over 250 Catholic Churches in LA. One Girl on a Mission.

I’m a Catholic, have been for 25 years, and I regularly attend Sunday Mass. I’ve been living in Los Angeles almost three years now but I have yet to find a Catholic church to call home. A couple of times I thought I had found it, only to be introduced to elements that didn’t connect well with my personal faith. And it’s getting a little tiring. I want to foster and grow in my faith; I want to have a good relationship with God. But I haven’t found a space where I can connect with Him.

It’s been an up and down roller coaster ride in my faith journey lately. When I find a new church, I feel very connected, ready to get to know God a little more and see how He works in my life. But then the newness of the church wears off and I’m left with the reality of a church that just doesn’t fulfill me. Maybe it’s the church; maybe it’s me. But it sounds 
like I have a journey to embark on.

The good news: I live in Los Angeles. Which means I have access to a gagillion churches. Okay, not a gagillion but WAY more than anyone else in the country has access to. So I have options, I just have to go check them out and find out which churches I mesh with. So I’m going to do that. And I’m going to write about it, because why not? And because I should probably remember and dig deep into this journey. Because my faith is a big deal to me.

I’ve already been to a few churches several times, so I’ll write about my experiences there. And then every Sunday I’ll visit a new church, and talk about what I liked and what I didn’t like, in an attempt to hone in on what I’m looking for in a church. Hopefully, this will help me find a home, a place where I enjoy worshipping, and look forward to going to every Sunday. I’m nervous, because what if I don’t find someplace that feels like a good fit? But I’m also excited to see what’s out there.

So many people live their lives going to one church. Which is great, because there are so many loving and Spirit-filled communities out there. I’m lucky enough to have the unique opportunity to visit many communities, see how different groups of people live their faith, and meet many different Catholics. May God give me an open heart and guide me. 

Why I'm Blogging Even though I Hate Blogging

Warning: This post is all about why I’ve started a blog and may sound pretentious. You have been warned.

I want to change the world.

Ok, that’s cliché. Let me try to break this down.

No, I don’t expect to change the world in the way that important people do. No, I don’t plan on igniting the masses and starting a revolution. I want to make the world a better place for some people. I have been extremely blessed in my life and I want to share that with others. Everyone deserves blessings so I want to share mine. Simple. Easy peasy.

I work in the communications industry, so I think I’m in a really good position to share my blessings. There are two main ways that I can see where my work can help the most.

Number 1: The Escape.
Everyone has struggles and stress in their lives. It’s hard to control how these affect us, so they seep into good parts of our lives and stain them. If done right, film, tv, etc., provide an escape from this, a chance to control what we’re feeling. If people can take a step back from their lives and relax, they can manage the bad and hold tight to the good. They can put things in perspective. They can be inspired. They can smile. There are numerous amounts of escape that a movie or tv show can provide, and I have the ability to create these.

Number 2: The Voice.
I don’t just have to tell my stories. I don’t want to just tell my stories. I have the unique opportunity to give others the chance to tell their stories and share their experiences. I’m always looking for the opportunity to bring out the creativity in others. I think it’s important to share stories with each other, and I have heard so many stories over the years that need a platform and an audience. I want to provide that. I want to share the goodness of the world. I want to share the sadness. I want to share the humanity.

In addition to this, I can shed light on stories that need to be heard that haven’t been. If someone needs support, I can show why. If someone has been an inspiration, I can show that to the world. I am extremely excited about this aspect of my work.

I’m going to embark on a journey to try and accomplish these things with through my work. And I know I’m going to need help eventually. Which brings me to the blog. I want to show the Internet world that I am a person you feel comfortable helping. Because helping me is going to allow me to help others. I want to show you that I’m someone you can trust. That I am a person with values, morals and dreams that are all centered on helping the people around me. And I hope that one day, people can join me in this endeavor.

So I will share my stories here. And I will share the stories of others. I will share things that make me laugh, that make me cry, that make me wonder and dream. I want to show who I am so that I can help other people shine. I want to change the world and I hope you can help me out with that :)

There are links to my Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram on the side bar. I hope to post many wonderful things there as well!