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| Today there were two masses at Sacred Heart Church, one at 8:00 AM and the other at 10:45 AM. The congregations at both masses were very attentive and responsive to my homily. It is really rewarding to speak to a group like this community which is intelligent, well-educated, and open to the idea of the Christian virtues of justice and equality. I had planned to drive a slow and scenic route back to Raleigh to the airport because my flight was not until 5:10 PM, but then I found I was constrained by the rental car contract. If I didn't get the car back to the Raleigh airport by 2:00 PM, I would have had to pay for an extra day, so as soon as the 10:45 mass was finished, I threw my things into the car and made a dash for Raleigh. I arrived at 1:48 PM so I was able to return the car without incurring any excess charges. The two flights to Washington, DC and then to White Plains were mostly marked by long waits. I flew for 2 1/2 hours but sat in the the airports for 6 1/2 hours. I arrived at Maryknoll at midnight. |
| The inside of Sacred Heart Church is one of the most beautiful I have seen. It is laid out well, the floor is sloping for visibility, and the acoustics are wonderful, even without a microphone. And on top of that it is just very aesthetically pleasing. On Saturday afternoon a wedding was taking place in the church before the evening liturgy for the weekend. |
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| The transept on the right is extended to provide a large chapel for perpetual adoration 24 hours a day. The church seats 900 people but has good visibility from all points and no one is too far away from the altar. |
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| The pastor, Fr. Bill Pitts, is oriented toward mission and social justice, and for the last two years has promoted a Christmas-in-July project to provide food for poor people. The people have overwhelmingly responded to the idea, and in the course of the morning dozens more bags of staple foods were added to these around the Christmas trees set up in the vestibule. The church is unusual in the huge amount of space provided for meeting rooms, choir practice rooms, corridors, vestibules, storage rooms, etc. |
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