Pastor: Rev. Angel Sierra
Saturday (23 July)
This weekend I drove from Chicago to southern Illinois to a cluster of three small churches near Springfield. Fr. Angel Sierra is the pastor of all three churches, each of which has a single mass on the weekends.
 St. Mary's Church |
 The rectory at St. Mary's |
I took the city bus to Midway Airport in Chicago and rented a car, and then drove diagonally acriss the state for about six hours to New Berlin where I was to stay overnight. The first mass was in Alexander, Illinois, about eight miles to the west, at 5:00 PM. As usual, there was a delightful group of people there. And the church was air conditioned!
After mass I was invited to eat supper with Mrs. Jackie Hermes back in New Berlin. Her husband's brother is Joe Hermes, a Maryknoll priest I know in Japan! It was a delicious meal and interesting conversation.
Sunday (24 July)
Sunday morning, the first mass was in Franklin, reached by going west back to Alexander and then turning south for another six miles. The mass there was at 8:00 AM. Then it was back to New Berlin for a 9:30 AM mass. I talked a bit too much to people after mass in Franklin and was four or five minutes late starting mass in New Berlin but the people seemed forgiving. After mass a couple offered to take me to lunch, but I had to drive 350 miles to Louisville and turn in the rental car before it got too late, so I gratefully declined and headed east. The drive to Kentucky took about seven hours.
 My rental car and lots of corn in southern Illinois |
 Various hybrid corns being tested in the Midwest corn belt |