I was baptized a Roman Catholic on July 16th, 1966 at Saint Ita’s up in Edgewater. I just moved into Edgewater on the first of July. It was a hot summer night, a Friday and the air conditioning was horrible at Cuneo Hospital. That was the night that I met my parents for the first time.
Becoming a Catholic was a big decision for me to make. Probably the first major decision I ever made, but I was very mature at two weeks old. Father Schmidt anointed me and I was off to the races.
I grew up a pretty good Catholic. I was a helluva Altar Boy. From Saint Ita’s on the Northside to Saint Francis de Sales on the Southside. Christ the King in Indianapolis, Ascension in Oak Park and Saint Cletus on the other side of Mannheim.
Ascension had a single adult mass on Sunday nights. On the third Sunday of the month there was a Social after mass in the Oak Room. Sometimes those Socials would move to Lalo’s Mexican restaurant on Oak Park Avenue. On a few occasions after a pitcher of margaritas the party would end up on the mattresses. Oh it was good to be a single guy at Ascension in the 1990’s.
Another experience I had as a young Catholic adult was the Saturday Five o’clock at Oak Park hospital. We would sit in Doc Ryan’s on a Saturday afternoon watching college football or basketball. Around 4:52pm one of the old timers would say, “Time for mass!”
The first time I experienced this I thought it was a joke. It wasn’t a joke… Everyone put a coaster over their unfinished pint, tilted their barstool to the bar and hurried over to the chapel in the hospital.
How great was life?
Boozing in the bar with the guys all day, going to a mass that lasted 24 minutes and being back in the tavern like nothing happened. Oh it was great to be a young Catholic guy…
That brings me to today. Ash Wednesday as a middle aged divorced dad. I’ve lost my religion and haven’t gotten ashes in years.
Probably won’t get them today, but I’ve already prayed this morning. I might have prayed for a couple of you…. Actually I did!
I love praying. I love talking with all the usual suspects up in heaven. Having them to pray with makes life a little Mo Betta’…..
Sometimes I hear heaven say, “Thought that I heard you laughing, I thought that I heard you singing…I think I thought I saw you try.”
Actually that was a song on the radio this morning.
It’s okay to lose your religion, but never lose your faith. FAITH will get you through life and get you up to heaven someday.
… and heaven has a Lalo’s and a Doc Ryans!
I think today will be an REM day, enjoy your earworm and say hello to Lenny Bruce.
