My earliest memories related to Catholicism were of a
Catholic school just a block and a half up the street from our house in
Louisville, KY. It was named Most Blessed Sacrament, but my friends and I used
to jokingly call it Most Blasted Sacrament. It seems kind of silly now, but as
a child it was a real hoot.
I do not recollect ever attending a Catholic service or even
going inside a Catholic Church building as a child. The first time I remember
being inside a Catholic Church was to attend a wedding. It was in 1979, just a
short time after graduating from college. My friends Richard and Denise were
getting married. My wife Kathy and I had graduated from high school with them
in 1973. Kathy and I did not wed until 1982. Richard and I actually attended
school together from the first grade all the way through college. We lived just
a couple of blocks from each other.
I had become interested in photography in high school and
began buying more professional level cameras and lenses while I was in college.
Richard knew of my interest, so asked me to be the photographer at his wedding.
I had never shot a wedding before, but he was aware of that and still wanted me
to do it. But he had a twist. He also wanted me to be his best man. At first I
thought that would not work. However, given that I could put the camera on a
tripod and set the timer for the pictures I needed to be in, I agreed to do it.
All worked out fine. However, I do remember getting a bit annoyed by having to
kneel so much during the ceremony.
Yes, that’s me third from left with the fro and mustache. Cool
dude, huh?
Being mostly associated with Protestants growing up, I was
skeptical of some of the beliefs of the Catholic Church such as infant baptism,
holy water, transubstantiation, Mary worship, and so forth. But I eventually came
to realize that when it comes to the supernatural, there is really nothing more
bizarre or unbelievable than another thing. If God truly exists and he is
omnipotent, ruling by fiat, then he can choose to deal with man anyway he
wants. He can ask us to worship him in any way he wants, and he can ask us to
believe anything he wants us to believe. Basically, anything goes. It then
boils down to what we individually decide is the proper way to determine what
his desires for us are.
After moving to Alabama, I came to realize that some of my
friends at work were Catholic. I attended a few services to see what it was all
about. The most memorable visit to a Catholic Church was to attend a
performance of the musical “Jesus Christ, Superstar”. A friend from work was performing
the role of Jesus, and he did a great job. Interestingly, the man who played
Judas Iscariot was probably the best singer of the bunch. But somehow it just
didn’t seem right for the bad guy to be that good.
A few days ago I listened to a one hour speech by a man that
had been a Presbyterian pastor, but gradually came to realize that the
teachings of the Catholic Church that he had thought were anti-Biblical were
actually Biblical. At the end of this journey of discovery, he resigned his position
of pastor at the Presbyterian Church and of teacher at a college and joined the
Catholic Church. Here’s a link to that speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW-qX6DgcPw
. It is very interesting to read about all the famous photographers and artists he befriended and the varied experiences he had. One thing that struck me was how determined photographers had to be years ago. Adams said that he would typically carry thirty pounds of equipment and supplies on his back and his tripod in his hand. When on longer treks he had to enlist the help of pack mules. I get tired just carrying minimal digital equipment in a shoulder bag.
