HolywaterblogBy good fortune, I had the chance to read an excellent article by Thomas Storck at the online archives of the New Oxford Review. It is about his trip to the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation , but more than that, about Catholic culture. One thing he rightly understands is the diversity of languages and peoples among Catholics and our generally different way of doing things, especially compared to Protestant and secular culture. He writes:

Every August the small town of Carey in Wyandot County, Ohio, about
50 miles south of Lake Erie, fills with prayer and pageantry as
Catholics gather to honor the Mother of God on the feast of her
Assumption into Heaven. Latin-rite Catholics from across the Midwest,
Chaldean-rite Catholics from the Detroit area, and various ethnic
groups with their special songs and rituals and garb - all flock to
Carey for several days of activities that center on the veneration of a
statue of Our Lady of Consolation that has been here since the church
that bears her name was first built around 1870.

When I was an Episcopalian, one of the attractions of the Catholic
Church was her frankly populist atmosphere, her capaciously maternal
ingathering of diverse nationalities and colors and tongues. For
anyone, Catholic or not, with some fondness for that aspect of the
Faith, Carey in August is a stirring place to be…

Continue Reading A Glimpse of Catholic Culture by Thomas Storck (New Oxford Review)

Image of the Holy Water dispensers from OLC shrine taken by me.