Catholics that followed the Latin Mass, but as I said, I am not a religious person. (To be honest, I’d pictured some intolerable nerds following a ghoulish priest -though of course I wouldn’t tell her that.)
I listened, transported, as “Did you like it?” the priest the centuries fell away. said, a pleased grin lighting up his face. “Was it your first I was in a trance when the time, then?” Mass ended. All I wanted to do was stay there, “Y-yes,” I admitted. “I-I had and breathe the incense- no idea…” scented air. Jennifer stood up, though, as the priest and “…I’ve been trying to bring However, when I dried my two of the men approached her here, Father,” Jennifer tears, I found this old chapel us, smiling. said, grinning. to be oddly comforting. It was very quiet. Aside from the I saw immediately that one “But she is no doubt a very spring evening light filtering of the singers was enamored busy person at the clinic, through the stained glass of her. Jennifer returned no?” said the priest, still windows, a single, stout his admiring glance with a smiling. beeswax candle glowed radiant smile and introduced before a bank of radiant him as ‘Josef;’ he shook my “I-I am,” I faltered, not sure pink hydrangeas adorning hand earnestly. Then she of what to say. a Pieta of surprising beauty presented me to the priest, and power. who welcomed me. The “Perhaps you will join us for other singer stood quietly supper?” he said cordially. Soon, the door opened and a by. youngish priest in a cassock strode in, followed by three “And this is Christoph,” “N-now?” I said, somewhat men. The priest nodded at whispered Jennifer, and we nonplussed. us with a smile, and vanished shook hands. He was a tall, into an anteroom with one calm man with aristocratic “Yes, now,” said Christoph, of the men. The other two bearing. I suddenly thought with a teasing smile. I liked grinned at us wordlessly, of my tear-stained cheeks, his dark eyes. “Your Jennifer and took up their places at and wished I had a lipstick. has taught us her casual American ways. Nowadays the rear of the chapel. we often will simply go and eat something together, after Mass.”
A few minutes later, a golden bell rang. The priest and altar server emerged. The small group of worshipers who had quietly assembled got to their feet. As the evening light slowly died, the two men lifted their voices in an ancient Gregorian chant. page 56
laughter wine.’”
and
good
red
“’At least I’ve always found it so…’” continued Josef, his arm around Jennifer. “’…Benedicamus domino,’” finished Father, smiling at me. The group laughed. “W-what is this?” I asked, amused but perplexed. “A very clever Catholic Englishman wrote that,” Jennifer explained, grinning. “A man named Hilaire Belloc.” “A mere Englishman,” said Josef teasingly, winking at Jennifer. “A genius!” exclaimed Father, laughing. As we walked together through the old streets, a strange, giddy feeling came over me. I looked up at the tall, grave Christoph walking beside me and returned his smile.
“And a glass of wine is I began to feel younger, for mandatory,” said Josef, some reason. laughing. “Shall we go?” Lighter than air, actually. As we filed out of the empty church, I watched as each of my companions genuflected briefly, then crossed themselves, eyes on the altar. Once outside, we shivered in the cold night “So very pleased to meet air. you,” he said, in the correct manner that Germans “’Wherever the Catholic sun always know indicates good doth shine…’” Jennifer said, family background. But his in English. smile was genuine, and his grip was warm. Christoph took up the “This was beautiful,” I said refrain, smiling to the priest, sotto voce and broadly. “’… somewhat abashed. there’s always