Sugar House (9780991192519) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Looking around the crowd he
spotted Sam and his mother kneeling in prayer a few rows behind his
family. Joe coughed quietly to try to grab Sam's attention, but the
boy and his mother were deep in prayer. Matka looked down sharply
at Joe, and he looked to the front of the church.
    Scarlet carpeting down the main aisle ended
at the alabaster altar. This too was illuminated with electric
lights going up the sides and culminating in a vibrantly lit cross
thirty feet above. Two angels blowing trumpets flanked the outer
corners. Images of Our Lady of Częstochowa, Saint Stanislaus and
Saint Aloysius adjoined a painting of the church's patron, Saint
Josaphat.
    Above the high altar a mural of the Trinity
was depicted on the domed ceiling, bordered by images of the
Nativity and the Last Supper. Detailed paintings of significant
biblical scenes adorned the ceiling above the four confessionals in
the transept. The décor, murals, lights and vastness of the
sanctuary could easily sway a man back into the arms of God. The
building was intended to elicit humility and worship. To a small
boy, St. Josaphat's cathedral was truly God's house.
    Joe stood, as loud chords began to
reverberate throughout the church from the massive organ. Two lines
of nuns in long, black habits started the procession down the
aisle, followed by six altar boys wearing white surplices over
black cassocks and carrying flickering ivory candles. Four priests
conveying tall golden crosses preceded the head priest, Father
Gatowski.
    Joe followed along in his missal, singing the
sacred songs with reverence and joy. Though he couldn't understand
the language, he was familiar with the rites and traditions. Not
many in the church could comprehend the old language. Most of the
older parishioners couldn't understand English much less Latin, but
Mass had been conducted in Latin in the old country, so all were
familiar with the liturgy.
    Joe had much to be thankful for this week. He
thanked God during the time of prayer for his kind, hardworking
parents, for Frank not bugging him too much last week and
especially for the adventure that awaited him. He finished his
prayer with a request. "Dear God, please help the nuns be nicer
this week, so I don't get a note home that'll mess the plans for
Saturday."
    Following the readings, Father Gatowski
climbed the curved steps of the pulpit at the center of the front
pews. He stood fifteen feet above the congregation, his ivory robes
billowing about him. The people near the bottom of the pulpit
craned their necks to see the monsignor.
    Father Gatowski was a kind man, and the
children of St. Josaphat's often brought him treats from home,
which only helped to enhance his round girth. Frequently, he could
be seen behind the school throwing a football with the boys or
pushing a couple girls on the swings. He was average in stature
though a little generous in the belly and had a shock of thick
white hair that stood straight up when he was running on the small
playground.
    Switching from Latin to Polish, Father
Gatowski began, "Dzień dobry, St. Josaphat's! Today I have great
news to share with you. Just as Jesus walked through Jerusalem
pronouncing the good news of his Father's love, I want to follow in
his footsteps and walk through our streets shouting our good news.
All thanks to the donations of money and time from you, our friends
and neighbors, St. Josaphat's new school will be finished in less
than a month's time. All the sacrifices given by you to build a
place where our young can learn and be educated in the ways of the
Catholic Church are coming to fruition. The school building will be
officially dedicated on Friday, November 12, the feast day of our
patron saint. There will be no school for the children that day.
The sisters and the children will march in procession from the
corner of Beaubien and St. Antoine Streets, turning onto Canfield
and ending here at the church. They will begin the procession at
nine o'clock in the morning.