On Sunday morning the metal pillars supporting the basement ceiling were bedecked with woven sashes and lillies in honor of Our Lady. The hall was overflowing as Mass was said in celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn.
We were graced by the presence of a children's choir which sang the liturgy in Lithuanian with great care, poise and sweetness.
In his homily Father Eugene told us to remain aware of the mystery of God around us, to be mindful of His presence and His communication with us.
At this gathering it was easy to feel His presence among us in the care and tenderness with which the children sang, the effort put into cleaning and decorating the hall, the smiles, kisses and handshakes during the sign of peace. Two of my friends from St. Stanislaus Kostka in Hastings drove down on impulse and I was so happy to see their faces and share this occasion with them. I was also glad to be in the company of a longstanding parishioner whose attendance at this Mass was a reunion of sorts. She has been telling me about some of those who are now gone, like Dalia Bulvicius and Aldona Kepalaite, making them real to me when I had only known them as references in old bulletins, programs and pictures. My thoughts traveled to my grandparents, my father and my aunts who had all attended this church, the other Lithuanian friends and relatives that surrounded me as a child and all the others who had attended Mass here over the years.
Immersed in the mystery, it was a reunion for us all.
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