Sunday Post – 10/01/2017

October 1, 2017 Sunday Post 14

The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimba, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week, take a look ahead, and showcase our new treasures—I mean books!

I don’t want to go deeply into the whys and wherefores, but our church (a military base chapel) was closed for good last night. We’ve been grieving the loss since Wednesday evening, when we got word that no priest has been found to take the contract. Last night was the final Mass, followed by a potluck — our last gathering as a group. There are other places we can go to church, of course, but it won’t be the same “family” of people we have come to love. We’ve sung in choir with some of these people since 2002 — some of them longer than that, because we switched parishes around the same time they did. We’ll try to get together with our friends as time goes on, but without that weekly contact, it will be hard to keep up with everyone.

So this week, I’ve been doing what I often do when I’m sad or anxious: I’m rereading “comfort books,” old favorites that offer the familiarity and warmth of a good friend, or of home. This time, it’s Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series. I realized yesterday, while writing this post, that subconsciously I turned to these books because they are all about community, and small-town community at that. They are indeed comforting.

On the positive side, my community choruses start this week. I begin rehearsals this afternoon with my children’s and teen choruses; the adult chorus I sing with starts up on Wednesday night. Both activities bring joy to my heart, so that should help lift the sadness a little.

 

Last Week on the Blog

 

Upcoming on the Blog

  • Second Chance Girl by Susan Mallery – review
  • Queen City Mischief & Magic Festival – tentative
  • other reviews TBD
  • News & Notes – 10/07/2017
  • Sunday Post – 10/08/2017

 

What I’m Reading/Watching

Reading:  As I said before, I’ve been rereading Robyn Carr all week. (No, I haven’t read all of them in a week, just the first five or six.)  I still intend to get back to Murder, Magic, and What We Wore and The Waking Land, but I just haven’t had the heart or the emotional energy for anything new.

Listening to: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, in honor of last week’s Banned Books Week.

Watching:  We are rewatching Sherlock seasons 1–3 so we can remind ourselves of all the clues before we watch Season 4; this week we finished up Season 3, so next up is the special (“The Abominable Bride”.) And we’ve also watched a few episodes of Father Brown; we’re now on season 4.

 

New Additions to the Hoard

Cover links take you to Goodreads.

For Review or Review Consideration

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and Timber Press!

Purchased for Kindle

The Knocker on Death’s Door is an old favorite; Coroner’s Pidgin is a Campion mystery that I’ve never read; the Christmas novella collection sounds good; and I read and enjoyed Otherwise Engaged back in 2014 (review) but didn’t have my own copy.

 

Have a wonderful week, and happy reading!

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14 Responses to “Sunday Post – 10/01/2017”

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Thank you, Ronyell. I do to. At least the people we’ve been closest to, which is mainly the choir and three or four other couples. Some of these people I’ve known since I arrived here as a bride over 25 years ago. Some have known my husband since he was a little boy! So we’ll definitely make an effort to see people. Facebook helps, too.

  2. Greg

    I’m sorry to hear about your church closing! How awful. I hope you’re able to stay in contact with good friends. Is there any chance the church could reopen at some point if they find someone?

    Bloodstains with Beonte sounds fun. What a title!
    Greg recently posted…Sunday Post #214My Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Thank you, Greg. No, the Navy and the military archdiocese have definitively and finally closed the Catholic program on this base. I suspect they’ll eventually close the Protestant program too, and simply try to arrange transportation to churches in the surrounding area for any sailors who want to attend. The bulk of people working on this base are civilians (scientists, programmers, etc.) because of the nature of the work done here, anyway.

      Bloodstains with Bronte does sound fun. Hopefully I’ll start feeling up to reading new books soon, because I have a ton and I am falling behind.

  3. Geybie's Book Blog

    Ohh sorry to hear about your church. The church I attended when I was in college had a time when there was no pastor but then they invited the pastors from other churches to do Sunday service. It lasted more than 3 months. Glad that you can keep contact with the others. Anyway, enjoy your books and have a wonderful week. Happy reading. ?❤️

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Thank you, Geybie. We’ll get through as a family, and hopefully maintain contact with our friends as well. But I miss the choir, the people, the priest we’ve had for several years… even the building.

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      It’s been a real comfort… though it doesn’t solve the problem for us, it’s given me a place to “go” when I’m feeling sad. We’ll be all right in the long run, but just like moving or any other transition where you lose or leave a community you love, it’s really hard to see it end.

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Actually, they’ve been closing base chapels for a while, at least Catholic ones and I think some Protestant ones as well. There’s a shortage of Catholic priests in this country generally, and definitely a shortage in the military. They need every military priest for duty on ships or bases where there is no other Catholic church in the area. In our case, there are Catholic parishes around here, so despite the strength and size of our community, I suspect the Navy and the military archdiocese didn’t see the need to continue funding the program… especially since they couldn’t find a retired priest or order priest (like a Franciscan) willing, able, or at liberty to take the contract. And the majority of attendees at our chapel, like the majority of employees on this particular base, are civilians, not Navy, so there’s that as well.

      We’ll find another parish, but I know not all from our community will choose the same one, so… I kept thinking of that scene at the end of Fiddler on the Roof, where everyone is leaving Anatevka. Like the villagers in the movie, we’re all dispersing. My husband and I hope to find one that’s a good fit for us, but it won’t ever be the same.

  6. Kristin @ Addicted to HEA

    Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry you guys lost your church! I understand and hear all the time how hard it is to get and keep good pastors and priests. I can’t imagine how hard it is to lose one on a base, though. Have y’all thought about a Bible study group in the meantime? We did that with some friends when we couldn’t find a church when we moved to Maine with the Border Patrol. Just a thought… Hang in there *hugs*

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Thank you, Kristin. We could do that, I suppose, but it doesn’t solve the problem of communion, which is an essential part of worship for us. The Navy and the Catholic military archdiocese have officially closed the Catholic chapel program on base, so that’s the end of it permanently. If we want to go to Mass, we’ll have to go to another Catholic church in the area. There are several parishes my husband and I plan to try, but most of them are quite a distance away.

  7. Charlie

    I’m so sorry your church has closed its doors. That is a heartbreaking thing, I’m sure. It is sad that your entire church family is now broken up and you won’t see each other regularly. I hope you and your husband find a new church and congregation that you fit with.