Pentecost, Pageantry and Poop

The Catholic Church I attend is named after St. Rose of Lima who often wore a crown of thorns to emulate the suffering of Christ. From the high ceiling directly above the altar hangs a huge metal crown of thorns; I guess its diameter is about 15 feet.

I always love the tasteful, seasonal decorations and today, Pentecost Sunday, was no exception: flowers strewn about and ribbons streaming from the giant crucifix, bringing to mind light and the joy of the day. Father O walked the center aisle and sprinkled us with Holy Water commemorating our Baptisms and Confirmations while we sang.

During the first reading I was thinking of how I want to change my Confirmation name (no one should be allowed to make such a decision at age 12). I stupidly went for drama and chose a name that means nothing to me and is completely unlike me: Jeanne d'Arc (I am embarrassed to say). She may well have been a great warrior, a great Christian and a Saint– but I just do not relate to her.

Suddenly ... what was that!? Towards the back and to the right of the metal crown of thorns ... movement ... a little flash of white ... Oh My Goodness!! It's a dove! So symbolic! Did it get there by itself or was it a part of the decorating? I don't remember it from last year. Who would have gotten up that high to place it there? And how can it be so well behaved? Does anyone else see it? Perhaps it's a miracle!  If it was a miracle, it wasn't solely my miracle because I eventually noticed that a few others saw it as well. It remained in exactly the same spot throughout Mass. Father O went on to say many things about the meaning of the day: the coming together of many countries, oneness, faith and, of course, love– but nothing about the "miraculous" dove.

At the end of Mass, when Father O processed down the aisle, he greeted me and I said something like, "duh ... dove ..." He flashed a big smile and simply said in his brogue, "Oh, you should see the mess on the floor under it." That's all. So I get to interpret it however I like.

I think I've mentioned in other posts to not being a big "rules" person. I don't know what the rule is on changing one's Confirmation name, but I am changing mine to Louise. It is a family name and the actual St. Louise was charitable (worked alongside St. Vincent de Paul of whom I am a big fan), really came into her faith later in life, and, from the depictions I've seen, was probably not esteemed for her looks. The name means something to me. The day means something to me. The dove means something to me.