A Throw Back Thursday from One Year Ago…

  • Parishioners lift their voices in song for the day’s centennial celebration in Shiner. Aside from the vast arches of that ceiling and remarkable colors throughout, I particularly like having captured that painting, way back there above the choir loft. With so much else to fill your eye in this place I’m betting that has to be one of the most underappreciated works in the whole building.
    Parishioners lift their voices in song for the day’s centennial celebration in Shiner. Aside from the vast arches of that ceiling and remarkable colors throughout, I particularly like having captured that painting, way back there above the choir loft. With so much else to fill your eye in this place I’m betting that has to be one of the most underappreciated works in the whole building.
  • There's nothing quite like a fine audience, hanging on every word while you read, and few are finer than those in Shiner.
    There's nothing quite like a fine audience, hanging on every word while you read, and few are finer than those in Shiner.
  • For those who have never been up there when they play, it’s an incredible sensory experience. You don't so much hear it as feel it, reverberating inside you. It’s thunderous and melodic, all at once. And tends to distract a tad, as you creep ever closer to the balcony's edge, trying to frame that perfect picture, and notice gravity seems to get extra strong right about then, ready to fling you, ankles over elbows, into someone’s lap in the pews below. Not a good feeling. Trust me on that one...
    For those who have never been up there when they play, it’s an incredible sensory experience. You don't so much hear it as feel it, reverberating inside you. It’s thunderous and melodic, all at once. And tends to distract a tad, as you creep ever closer to the balcony's edge, trying to frame that perfect picture, and notice gravity seems to get extra strong right about then, ready to fling you, ankles over elbows, into someone’s lap in the pews below. Not a good feeling. Trust me on that one...
  • Father Bryan shares a few words on Shiner, its church and the fine spirit of sacrifice and service that the families who congregate here have known since the beginning, on this, the church’s 100th birthday (or, 101st now, a year later). Now is it just me, or are the statues back there listening in, too?
    Father Bryan shares a few words on Shiner, its church and the fine spirit of sacrifice and service that the families who congregate here have known since the beginning, on this, the church’s 100th birthday (or, 101st now, a year later). Now is it just me, or are the statues back there listening in, too?
  • Bishop Brendon offers the eucharistic prayers that day. It astounds me, the sheer volume of patterns one sees in this image, yet somehow, they manage to tone each other down, somehow. And it looks like Bishop’s got that angel’s undivided attention, too.
    Bishop Brendon offers the eucharistic prayers that day. It astounds me, the sheer volume of patterns one sees in this image, yet somehow, they manage to tone each other down, somehow. And it looks like Bishop’s got that angel’s undivided attention, too.
  • Thanks for indulging our little voyage back here. Until another year comes and goes, may you have many blessed days...
    Thanks for indulging our little voyage back here. Until another year comes and goes, may you have many blessed days...

    Most anyone on Facebook these days can enjoy the treat of those occasional reminders back to days past whenever an anniversary rolls by for some post we might’ve made, or collection we might have tucked away someplace from a few moons back.

    It simply pops up and says, “Hey, remember me?”

    As you might’ve guessed with as many places I’ll pop up and the sheer number of photos I frequently take, that can happen for me on a near daily basis sometimes.

    I must admit, though, seeing all those vivid, vibrant colors reappear from Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church’s centennial celebration, held with a beautiful mass and  beautifully performed music, I still find it all rather breathtaking, even a year later.

    I must extend my sincerest gratitude to both the Rev. Bryan Heyer, pastor of the Shiner church, and Bishop Brendon Cahill for granting me such open access throughout this memorable occasion. It’s nice to have a few friends in high places, sometimes, because most of mine are typically more the sort that Garth Brooks made famous in song.

    Thank you so very much!                                      

    With no further ado, a few scenes for that day’s collection, dated July 11, 2021: