Mass for Saint John’s School
Friday, September 10th – 9:00 AM. Even though our school will open its doors the week before Labor Day, we invite you to join the school community for Mass at 9:00 am on September 10 as we pray God’s blessing on our students and faculty.

Farewell Mass for Father Paul Coughlin
Saturday, September 11th – 4:00 PM. We hope all in our community will come and thank Father Paul for his years of priestly ministry among us. Father Paul will celebrate our Saturday 4 PM Mass on September 11. Following the Mass we invite you to join us for a reception for him in the lower church hall, with light refreshments and the opportunity to talk with Father Paul. Father Paul will be in transition as he leaves his temporary assignment as administrator of Saint John the Baptist Parish, Haverhill and awaits a new assignment from Cardinal Sean. We miss Father Paul and, of course, his faithful canine companion, Bob, but we wish him well as he awaits a new ministry somewhere in the Archdiocese of Boston.

International Festival
Sunday, September 12th – all day. The City of Peabody hosts this event which celebrates the rich cultural and religious diversity of our community. Our school has a table so please stop there. We remind those who come to Mass on Sunday, September 12, that traffic will be diverted from Lowell and other major roads that lead to Peabody Square so you need to plan accordingly. The police usually permit two way traffic on Franklin Street so that you can come to church. Thank you to
Peabody’s Best.

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
Saturday, September 18th 6:00 – 10:00 PM. Everyone who serves our parish community in any volunteer capacity is invited to our appreciation dinner on September 18. We are trying to reach all our volunteers by mail but we want every helper to know they are welcome. The staff of Saint John the Baptist Parish will serve a tasty meal. We need to know how many are coming so please call soon to let us know by calling the office (978-531-0002) or drop us an email: stjpeabody@parishmail.com.

Catechetical Sunday
Sunday, September 19th – 10:00 AM. At our Sunday family Mass we will ask God’s blessing on our dedicated religious education teachers and assistants. After Mass we will celebrate those who pass on the gospel of Jesus Christ. These folks devote a lot of time and attention to help our children grow in Catholic faith. They are very faithful to that task every Sunday. They deserve our thanks and also support, especially from parents who know how important, yet challenging, it is to bring young people to a better knowledge and living of their beliefs as Catholics. Pray for God’s graces on their efforts as their year begins.

Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? I search my heart and soul to come up with something to say when I face the parents of stillborn child or adult children of an aging parent who no longer recognizes them. It is not much easier to explain the pain and death that result from human conflict, except that in these instances human freedom enters the picture and plays a role. There are innocent victims but there are also perpetrators.

The enigma of a loving God seemingly standing by idle as his creatures fall victim to violence struck me anew on the Friday when I entered the old city of Jerusalem with my clergy companions from the Boston area. As we approached the gate, I read aloud the beautiful words of Psalm 122: “I was glad when they said to me: “Let us go in to the house of the Lord. Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. .. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem… peace be within you.” To all appearances it was a sunny, peaceful day in Jerusalem, but the days’ events were making me aware of how fragile and elusive peace is in this part of the world. Earlier that morning we were lectured by an Israeli colonel on “Ethics in the Field.” He explained how a soldier has eight seconds to decide and act on a possible suicide bomber approaching a school bus filled with children. He illustrated the dilemma with actual film footage of the bomber, the school bus and the gunfire which thankfully deterred the terrorist from accomplishing his mission. During his talk, the Colonel’s cell phone rang. A message informed him that a missile had been fired from Gaza into the city of Ashkelon. It was hard to get that image and that news out of my mind as I walked into the City of Peace that Friday morning.

During the day the narrow cobblestone streets of the holy city swelled with Muslims on their way to worship. Their most notable mosque is the Dome of the Rock, located on the site where the second temple once stood and where Jesus and Jews for centuries before him had worshipped. Later, as the sun set and the Sabbath began, a huge crowd of devout Orthodox Jews flood the plaza in front of the Western Wall, another portion of the temple mount which they hold sacred. (On the cover of today’s bulletin you can see the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock – an ironic view of one sacred place divided by believers!) During a quieter moment of that day, like so many others around me I rested my hand and head on those ancient stones of what has become known as “the wailing wall.” I looked for a crevice in the wall that had enough space to take my briefly written prayers: prayers for peace – for my family, for our parish family, and for the human family and particularly the people of the Middle East.

As Christians we would have our own distinctive way to mark this Friday in this very special place. In the afternoon two fellow priests, Fr. Sean Maher and Fr. Jim O’Driscoll, led our group along the Via Dolorosa, praying, singing, and meditating on the Way of the Cross. Somehow the memory of Jesus’ painful journey to the cross helped me then and later to interpret these scenes of the day that spoke of God and our search for him amid the reality of evil: people of different faiths walking to places of prayer in a land they all call holy, but walking every day with the fear that they or someone they know and love might be the next victim of violence.

It is not easy to understand or to explain to others, especially those who do not share the Christian faith, how the passion and death of Jesus can shed light on suffering. For me, that light begins by realizing that God chose not to stand aloof from the experience of humanity’s pain but to take his place with all who suffer in the world. The message of the cross is one of divine compassion. God truly cares for his creatures and shares their grief and sorrow. In the flesh of his own son he has taken to himself in a very real way our hurt, our wounds, and even our experience of death. The message of the cross is also one of divine courage. Jesus faced torture at the hands of his enemies with steadfast resolve not to resort to violence as the way to peace. Rather, he chose to overcome evil with good. The message of the cross is finally one of divine forgiveness. Rather than speak words of vengeance and condemnation upon his persecutors, Jesus poured out forgiveness and mercy with unlimited abundance.

There is no simple solution to the deep seated conflicts of the Middle East. The military, economic and geopolitical factors are many and complex. But judging from the long history of pain and anger on all sides, it does seem clear to me that there will be no path to peace in the Holy Land that will not demand of all who have been hurt, who have lost land and loved ones, and who truly want peace, new depths of compassion, courage and forgiveness. From a Christian perspective, such measures of compassion, courage and forgiveness find their exemplar and their deepest roots in the beloved son of God who wept as he looked down on the city and the people that he loved with all his heart.

One insight I want to share begins with the word “homeland.” Webster defines homeland as native land and fatherland. We often think of it as where we were born and where we come from, as well as where we make our home in a permanent way. It is a place where we have emotional ties, where we experience a sense of belonging, and where we want to feel safe and secure.

During my travels in the Middle East I realized with greater intensity than ever before a pretty obvious fact: that many Jewish people think of the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean as their homeland, even if they or their family were not born or even raised there. Their claim goes back almost four thousand years to Abraham and God’s call to him to “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk … to a land I will show you. I will make of you a great nation.” (Genesis 12: 1-2) When Abraham and his family came to the land of Canaan, the Lord said to him: “To your descendants I will give this land.” (Genesis12:7) Thereafter the bible traces the journey of the people whom we come to know today as the Jews. After settling the land and then leaving it to spend years in Egypt where they became enslaved, the people of Israel returned and became a strong nation under King David and then under Solomon, who built the temple in Jerusalem. After centuries of living and worshiping in this not very large but very sacred land, the people of Israel were driven into exile in Babylon and later driven out of their land by Roman powers which destroyed the temple. For the next two thousand years the Jewish people lived dispersed throughout many countries, yet they always clung to the hope of returning to their original homeland. That hope became a reality after World War II when the modern state of Israel was created, to provide a home for millions of Jewish refugees who survived the Holocaust. The problem was – and is – that during the past two millennia Arab people under Muslim rule have come into possession of this land, known as Palestine. They too call this their homeland and revere it as “Holy Land.”

So then, whose homeland is the Holy Land? This of course is the question of all questions. From everything I saw and heard I concluded (apparently along with many Israelis and Palestinians) that somehow both claims need to be recognized, and a peaceful solution must be found which empowers both Israelis and Palestinians to have land they can call their own. A “two state” proposal, with Israel and Palestine each having sovereignty and security in their borders, seems to be one that a majority can live with. At the same time, resolving where the borders of these countries will be and how they will be kept secure demands a wisdom far surpassing that of Solomon. No one has found a plan or a formula to make the two state solution work, but people of good will on both sides desperately want to make peace even at the cost of relinquishing some land that is so dear. In the meantime this land which so many call “holy” suffers daily the unholy assaults of terrorists who believe that the only way to gain what they want is to bomb innocent men, women and children. We were blessed to have traveled safely from the northern border with Lebanon to the edge of the Gaza strip. How sad and upsetting it was for me to read in local newspapers of death and destruction that was going on around the time that we were there, frightening close to where we were. And it just never stops.

I hope to share more thoughts with you. In the meantime you can learn more about the trip and read reflections from me and my companions on the blog that was created for us by the JCRC at this address: http://www.jcrcinisrael.blogspot.com.

What do you think of your pastor in a hard hat? Standing with me, besides John Stueve, are Tom and Kate Murray whom many of you know from their many years in our parish. Every so often someone tells me that they or their children were delivered by Doctor Murray. He and his wife, who is a lector, adult server and coordinator of our lecture series, expressed their interest in accompanying me to the 160 foot high pinnacle of the tower. What you see us holding is a lightning rod that attaches to the cross that will return to the peak once it has been gold leafed. It felt good to grasp something at that level because there is a slight sway up on that top platform. Needless to say I would not want to be there during a lightning storm!

A lot of progress has been made on the restoration and I credit all the craftsmen who have been working up there for many weeks for the care and skill they brought to this project. Viewing the job at close range I can appreciate how much this extensive work needed to be done. Although the colors and design will be consistent with what has been there for over a hundred years, new, improved materials will insure that the steeple will stand strong and proud for many years to come. I am leaving some space in this letter to allow John Stueve to highlight the progress being made. Despite careful examination of the tower, it is obvious that one never knows what you will find under the surface of such an old structure. This makes an undertaking of this scale a true adventure for the builders – even more than the adventure it was for me to make my way to the top!

Progress Report: All the masonry of the steeple has been repaired and re-pointed. The existing roof slates have been removed, the wood under repaired, waterproofing material installed, and the slates have almost been completely reinstalled. The two sections of the steeple that were red were wrapped in metal. The deterioration of this metal is the reason for the majority of the water damage to the steeple. Due to this deterioration, we found areas of complete rot and are rebuilding these areas. Also, the existing decorative wood trim has significantly deteriorated, so it is being replaced with a technologically advanced material that will resist the effects of the harsh weather, so our steeple will still be here for us to enjoy for another hundred years!

We look forward to having some special occasion at which to bless the restoration of the steeple this fall. This might be an appropriate moment to honor our first pastor, Rev. Michael Masterson, who built the church, rectory, convent and first school. The hundredth anniversary of his death will be November 20, 2010. I’m sure he would be proud to see his church still standing and his parish still serving God’s people.

Even though we came from different part of the country, from large archdioceses and small dioceses, from huge urban parishes and little country parishes, we discovered we had so much in common as we looked back not only at our days as students but at the forty years since. As a major city Chicago had a lot to offer, yet rather than explore its museums and store and parks, we chose to spend most of our time reflecting on what has happened in our life and in the church. The conversation was remarkable and I wish I could share more than a page, but I will confine myself to a few points that stand out in my mind.

Of the fifty four men ordained form our class, four have died. Many of us have had some significant challenges to deal with including battles with cancer, heart disease and other debilitating illnesses. Seeing folks you haven’t seen for that long make you acutely aware of your own age. And you own mortality. A recurring theme was our perspective on mortality. Far from being morbid, however, out thoughts focuses on how much we have come to see that our life and our accomplishments rely so much on God and not ourselves. It is humbling to know you have the majority of your years behind you. Only one of our group is retired, something most of us realize will probably not happen for about another ten years. Bedsides dealing with the natural slowing down of the body and the mind, we are dealing with the fact that with fewer and fewer priests, more and more will be asked of us; a daunting prospect. Knowing this we drew on a few important truths that should shape our lives as priests regardless of how old we are. These stand out in my mind.

The first is that Jesus is Lord and messiah and we are not. As Archbishop Romero, a modern martyr wrote, God is the architect and master builder; we are just laborers who try to carry out his plan which we cannot see in all its dimensions. We could boast of some success in our ministry perhaps, but we were very sharply aware of how impossible only God can look into souls and measure the results, which are always due to his grace anyway. The second is that we were blessed to be formed for priesthood immediately after Vatican II which ushered in a renewed vision of the church as clergy and laity working together to carry out the mission of Jesus. Even if we had more vocations to the priesthood, none of us would want to return to the days of triumphalism when by their dress and behavior priests were regarded as men exalted above others, called to be served rather than to serve. Many of us worry that the old clericalism which predated the council was creeping back or taking new forms. The third point made often was our need and search for hope and a revitalized confidence that we as priests and people can respect and trust each other in the wake of the painful scandals that have surfaced in the priesthood. Coming from Boston, I was asked how we are coping with the toll of loss in our archdiocese which was often referred to as the epicenter of the abuse crisis. I described my thinking that for the rest our lives as a local church – and perhaps as an international church – we will be “a priesthood in recovery.” By this I mean that although we can move forward to make our church safer and more accountable, we cannot escape the fact that the abuse scandal and the way we dealt with it will make our age and consciousness until we die. The final point was made not so much in our discussion as in our prayer and at mass, when we paused to affirm how good and merciful our God is and how great is the gift of our faith and our priesthood, even if suffering and doubts still shake us.

Needless to say, like any happy class reunion ours was marked with much laughter and good food and wine. But I thank God that when we left Chicago, we left with something more than knowing we just had a good time. As much as we realized we were growing old and facing the need to let go of things and people that mattered so much, we also recognized that we were still being blessed by the one who long ago brought us together on the road to priesthood. More that just a good time for a few days in Chicago, I think we could admit that we have enjoyed – and still are enjoying – a good life, in the best and truest send of that word.

 On the cover of our bulletin I have posted a few scenes from the monastery, including a view of the outside and sanctuary of the chapel, to give you a visual picture of this very remote and spectacular setting. The center photo fails by far to capture the grandeur of the Rio Chama Canyon, with its magnificently colored mesas. Abbot Philip, who looks like a bishop with his pectoral cross, ring and zucchetto (skull cap) welcomed my friend, Fr. George Morin and me as he does every visitor. The rule of Saint Benedict which this community follows calls for prayer and work. So guests are invited to put in a few hours of labor as you can see I did, weeding the garden in the cloister.

 Daily prayers begin at 4 AM, before the sun rises. I confess I didn’t make it up at that hour but I was awake and on my way to a shower at 5 AM.  After morning prayer at 5:45 AM we concelebrated mass and then had a simple breakfast of toasted home made bread with peanut butter and jelly. The monks prepare and serve simple meals, mostly vegetables with rice and beans, which are eaten in silence while someone reads. Rooms are spartan: a mattress on a concrete base, a chair, a desk, a Coleman lamp for finding our way to the bathroom at night. This is not the Desert Hilton, but a sure refuge from the world of conspicuous consumption.

Knowing that this would be a self-directed retreat I borrowed a copy of  Father James Martin’s recent book, A Jesuit Guide to (almost) Everything. Helen Donovan, one of our wonderful office volunteers, had read it and shared it with me. Let me tell you: you don’t need to be in a monastery to enjoy this excellent book. I recommend highly that you put it at the top of your summer reading list. No author I have read makes it easier to understand and benefit from the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.

 Saint John’s and its people were very much on my mind and in my heart during this retreat. I found myself echoing the words of Saint Paul to the community at Philippi which he loved and formed: “I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now (Phil 1:3-5)”  Honestly, I also prayed with anxiety about the demands which ministry will make on all of us, clergy and laity alike, with only one priest assigned to our parish. Then I thought of other words of Saint Paul, written when in his awareness of his own limitations as well as those of his fellow believers: “I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God (I Cor 2:3-5)”

My prayer then and now is that our parish could be touched in a powerful way by the Holy Spirit so that we could all recognize the truly abundant gifts we have and with open hands put them at the service of the mission of Jesus. In a time of material and spiritual recession, the dominant fear is that we are depleted and becoming more so. A self-fulfilling prophecy overtakes our will: things are only getting worse. We hold back for fear of losing. Let our common prayer be that of Saint Ignatius: “Lord, teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do your will.”

Life slows down in our parish this summer but not completely. Warm days and grassy fields give us reason to gather in the park and play. What better way to do this than at our Old Fashioned Parish Picnic. You haven’t heard about it? Where were you last year when we invaded Emerson Park with people, games, ice cream and more people looking for fun?   Well, don’t miss it this year.  There is everything we enjoyed last year and more, on Sunday, July 18, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

But we want people. Lots of people. The more, the merrier. Perhaps you have seen the ad in our bulletin. If not, let me extend a hearty welcome. The fun begins at 1:00 PM at Emerson Park.  There will be all kinds of sports and games for young and old. You can bring your own food or buy hot dogs or burgers or ice cream as well as soda, juice and water at ridiculously low prices.  Under the kids tenet will be face painting, tattoos, gimp, bracelets, beads and balloons. During the afternoon we will draw the winners in our parish 50/50 raffle.  Better buy your raffle ticket now because no raffle tickets will be sold at the picnic. (Sorry, it’s the law, believe it or not!!!) Thanks to the well coordinated efforts of your fellow parishioners, this year’s picnic is shaping up to be the best ever. Stay as long as you want. Things will wind up at 4:00 PM. This is a great deal for families and everyone. Remember there is no cost to come and enjoy. Spread the word. Bring a friend. Take along your own lawn chair if you want or a blanket or whatever. Pray for sunshine. If it rains we will come back on the following Sunday, July 25.

Rest and Renewal. The heat of summer is probably God’s way of telling us we need to slow down. We all need rest and time to hang out with family and friends. I came across statistics that show that we Americans work longer and harder that most other countries.  That may be part of the secret of our success for prosperity but why make more money if you can’t take the time to enjoy it. The Genesis account of God creating the universe contains a valuable lesson. Even God took a day to rest.  If he can, so can we.

To give good example I am spending this week before and over the 4th of July on retreat at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, 6500 feet in the hills north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I look for such places not only for their distinctive beauty and quiet but also for their remoteness. The monastery runs on solar energy and is far enough from civilization to render my Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go cell phone useless. Or so I hope. I promise, however, to pray for you and ask you to do the same. Pray that God keeps me safe from rattlesnakes and scorpions.

Later in July I will spend a few days with priest classmates from Rome in Chicago to celebrate our 40th anniversary. At the end of the month I fly to Tel Aviv with interfaith clergy to visit the Holy Land and various places sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and to learn more about the Middle East through dialogue with Israelis and Palestinians.  Please keep me in your prayers during those days as well.

If you’re wondering who’s minding the shop while I am away, have no fear. With Father Paul’s absence I have been going about getting priests to cover masses and funerals. And it not enough just to take care of our parish. As of July 1st I will be serving our area as a vicar forane, a post previously held by Msgr. Paul Garrity. The vicar convenes clergy from the parishes of Peabody, Salem, Swampscott, Lynn, Marblehead and Nahant to promote communication with one another and the Cardinal. I ask your prayers as I undertake this responsibility. As a member of the Priest Personnel Board I have come to see more clearly than ever how we priests need to help and support one another and find better ways to serve parishes in the days ahead. Facing the likelihood of being the only assigned priest in this parish of 2700 families that was once served by four, I see collaboration among clergy and laity as absolutely essential. I also see the necessity for R & R., to survive as well as to serve effectively.  

Happy summer!

Chaplain Jacob Duché leading the first prayer in the First Continental Congress at Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia, September 1774: mezzotint, 1848.- Granger Collection – artist unknown

The Continental-Confederation Congress, a legislative body that governed the United States from 1774 to 1789, contained an extraordinary number of deeply religious men. The amount of energy that Congress invested in encouraging the practice of religion in the new nation exceeded that expended by any subsequent American national government. Although the Articles of Confederation did not officially authorize Congress to concern itself with religion, the citizenry did not object to such activities. This lack of objection suggests that both the legislators and the public considered it appropriate for the national government to promote a nondenominational, nonpolemical Christianity.

 Congress appointed chaplains for itself and the armed forces, sponsored the publication of a Bible, imposed Christian morality on the armed forces, and granted public lands to promote Christianity among the Indians. National days of thanksgiving and of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” were proclaimed by Congress at least twice a year throughout the war. Congress was guided by “covenant theology,” a Reformation doctrine especially dear to New England Puritans, which held that God bound himself in an agreement with a nation and its people. This agreement stipulated that they “should be prosperous or afflicted, according as their general Obedience or Disobedience thereto appears.” Wars and revolutions were, accordingly, considered afflictions, as divine punishments for sin, from which a nation could rescue itself by repentance and reformation.

 The first national government of the United States, was convinced that the “public prosperity” of a society depended on the vitality of its religion. Nothing less than a “spirit of universal reformation among all ranks and degrees of our citizens,” Congress declared to the American people, would “make us a holy, that so we may be a happy people.”

  From the Library of Congress.

We will miss Father Paul for his warmth of personality, his laughter, his words of compassion, his faithfulness to ministry, and yes, for his canine companion, Bob. And I assure you that we will have an opportunity to thank him for all of these and more in the near future. But his departure holds some lessons for us. We would dishonor him, the priesthood and marriage if we did not pause to consider the true meaning of commitment in the context of faith and love.

To appreciate commitment, I suggest looking at its polar opposite: convenience. Ours is a culture of convenience. The icon of our age could appropriately be a White Hen or Seven-Eleven store, known by the popular term, convenience store. It’s about you. The store is there when and where you need it. It gives you what you want when you want it. But you are not bound to shop there. It really just depends on what it takes to satisfy your needs. We can see in the shifting patterns surrounding marriage, that convenience is overtaking commitment as the dominant virtue, if you can call it that. Two people fall in love, move in together to try it out and make it work economically. They have children and then, maybe, get married to try to keep it together.  Convenience comes from Latin words that mean literally “coming together.” If things come together then the relationship is good. If not, it comes apart and both parties walk away.  Commitment, on the other hand, derives from words that mean “sent together.” Its roots are the same as the word mission. A commitment is a relationship built on the belief that my life, my future, and my fulfillment flow from a choice I make that is rooted in something, or someone, other than myself.  From a Catholic perspective, both Christian marriage and priestly ordination testify to a conviction that life consists in learning what God calls us to do, and then giving ourselves to another – a spouse or Christ – with the hope and confidence that God is faithful. God will give the couple and the priest what they need to keep their promise. God’s promise of grace and the unconditional fidelity of Jesus makes it possible for a couple and a priest to live by commitment, even when doing so is even terribly inconvenient.
 
Our culture has succeeded in transforming our community of faith from a church of commitment to a church of convenience. Parishes are closing and young people are rejecting marriage and ordination because the church is not serving the convenience of people. When a parish drops the mass at the time or place they want, people stop going. When the church teaches a consistent ethic of life and the sacredness of human sexuality, people walk away because who wants to criticize abortion, injustice to immigrants, gay marriage and cohabitation. Admittedly the church and its clergy have sometimes and even blatantly failed to live the church’s ethic and sacredness of sexuality. But Catholics stopped going to church long before the abuse scandal and the closing of parishes. Parishes closed because people stopped going and supporting them. Those who hold vigils outside closed parishes and protest church authorities are blaming the wrong people. Their neighbors who stopped going to mass voted with their feet and with their wallets to close the parish.  

The future of our parish and others depends on how well we can rediscover and reinvigorate a culture of commitment in ourselves and in our faith community. What we believe is clear: God is forever faithful and gracious. He gives us the courage and perseverance to hold fast to the promises we make beginning at baptism. God keeps his promise to us. It remains for us to make and live commitments in life in such a way that friends and strangers might someday marvel that there are persons and communities where people behave so inconveniently and believe so inconsistently with public opinion. Curious about what motivates us to worship and serve so faithfully, in season and out of season, these friends and strangers might even be inspired to come back to mass and to embrace the life of the sacraments. Imagine the conversions! And yet it happens with our being converted, over and over again, from a people and a church of convenience to a people and a church of commitment.  Please pray with me for us to be such a people and such a church!