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Saturday, August 27, 2011

A First


You know you live in a small town when the very first time you attend services at a church, you are asked to do a reading. Mackinac Island is a very small town. With only 500 of us here year-round, you pretty much know everybody - really well. It dawned on me the other day that I've lived here for nearly 20 years, I've been friends with the local Episcopal priest all that time, but I've never attended services at the island's Trinity Church.

I decided to go because a dear friend of mine from Philadelphia, who happens to be an Episcopal priest, was giving the Mass that day. (If I got that wrong, please forgive me. I'm not sure what which verb is correct - giving? leading? celebrating?)


photo via

Trinity is a lovely little church, just up a from Market Street, near the bottom Fort Hill. Although services began in the 1830s, the parish wasn't organized until 1873. The members met in the fort and the Court House until the building was finished in 1882. I love that a number of the soldiers from Fort Mackinac provided some of the labor needed to construct the church.

Mass was lovely. All the more special because of my connection with Father R. I'm still not use to referring to him that way. It's been an adjustment for me, learning to see him as a priest. Sure, he is still my friend - the same friend I've had for going on 20 years now, but he's a priest. I first met him back when he was 18 or 19 - in his "pre-priest" days. I guess I just never thought about "priest" and "friend" being the same person. Priests weren't friends - they were up there on the altar - separate from the rest of us. Unknowingly he's helped me learn that priests are people too - just like teachers. R is a wonderful man, and I think the priesthood suits him. Now I know just how my students use to feel when they would see me at Meijer, stare at me with a look of shock on their faces and say, "Teachers shop? I thought you lived at school."

7 comments:

  1. How Nice! We visited Trinity church on our trip to the island this year. Beautiful place!

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  2. That looks like a lovely place, I'm sorry we didn't get to see it!

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  3. Beautiful windows! It's nice to have a different experience.

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  4. We visit that church every summer... we are Episcopalian and belong to a church in Naples, Florida called Trinity as well. We always stop into its peaceful, simple beauty and say a quick prayer. I'm so glad I found your blog.... my family enjoys Mackinac Island for one day every year. What a special place to live!

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  5. As we walked past the church today, I thought of your post. Trinity is a beautiful place! We have enjoyed our time on the island this week. We arrived on Sunday. Will be leaving on Friday. It's been a lovely, all be it BUSY week, as the boys are with us, LOL! I am sooooo sore! Have been walking/hiking WAAAAY too much, LOL!

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  6. I have one of those too. A friend priest(Catholic though). Went to school with him from kindergarten through senior in high school. And it is hard to think of him as a priest. He has told me not to worry about the Fr. part....just call him what I have always called him. :) B.

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