We travel a lot. Many places we have seen and discovered. We do not seek out connections, but it adds to the travelling experience when we find them.
We were on a weekend trip to a winter event in Grand Rapids, Michigan. One of the things I like to do is add stops to break up the drive and discover new things. On our return home, we would stop in Detroit for the National Shrine of Little Flower Basilica. It was our final stop on this journey, and ending with something beautiful.
My wife and I recognize ourselves as Christians, but we are really bad at being ones. The only time we attend church is during the off times to check out the stained glass and architecture of these places of worship. Occasionally we will light a candle and give the suggested donation for such an act, but we never stay for service. And yet we are constantly being drawn to religious sites. Many of them are Catholic.
Churches, cathedrals and especially basilicas are something we seek out. We try to see as many churches as possible and have discovered, to our great dismay, that so many are closed. It is a shame. We wish to see the beauty of a church and pay our respects only to find the doors are locked to so many of these much-needed places of peace, serenity and worship.
I consider it a crime that places like these are locked to the public, so when I tried the door, and it opened to the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, I was more than happy. The great thing about churches is that none are alike. Most follow the same theme but change it with the art of stained glass, sculptures, or other works. This basilica was in its own theme—a round sanctuary with life-sized replicas of important people on the outer walls. We rarely see this design and appreciate its uniqueness. There were doorways leading to the outside and others leading to places within the church, including a chapel which had a traditional feel.
We further discovered that this place of worship was full of worshippers. A chapel devoted to the adoration of Mary had many people quietly seated. We did not enter nor took any pictures out of respect for their devotion.
We left the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, appreciating the art and the fact that it was open to the public and used as a place of worship and respect. We would continue home.
A few weeks later, in Niagara, we would visit another church only to discover a connection to the one we had just seen in Detroit. We walked into the historic chapel that was proudly open to the public. A traditional themed sanctuary that was beautiful and had others there admiring the serenity and holiness of its being. We looked at the historical display on the walls outside the chapel to discover, like so many other places we have visited, it had been the victim of fire. Then some of the pictures started to look familiar, and the name of Little Flower.
And there was the connection: a church we were visiting in Niagara, Ontario, was connected to a church in Detroit, Michigan. Both were dedicated to Thérèse Martin, a saint who died young in the service of Jesus. She has lovingly been titled Little Flower.
We are not Catholic, and we have so many questions about Catholicism, but we do know and appreciate the dedication of those that follow this way of life. The Monastery of Mount Carmel in Niagara and the Basilica in Detroit and their connection to each other was not known to us at first. Discovering this and the connection was significant.
Beside Mount Carmel is Our Lady of Peace. Another historic church that helped escaped slaves begin a new life in Canada. The importance of this church and its actions was recognized by the Vatican and the church was given an elevated status. This church shares the same property as Mount Carmel and is also accessible to the public. We would enter it and notice that it is different from so many other places. We have also been to a number of places now that have been involved in liberating those trapped in slavery – another connection that we did not seek out.
Connections are the one thing that really makes this world so much smaller and more connected. There is so much out there to see and explore that it becomes easy to think that everything is in its own right. Still, then there are places that were created to recognize, celebrate, remember and honour the same, and those connections show us that we all belong together in one way or another.
- Check out Featured Map to see where these places are located.
- Please be respectful whenever there are others present.
- Consider donating to help preserve the buildings.
