Category: Places To See

Several of you asked if I had more photos of the Dickeyville Grotto. Yes, I do.

My level of activity over the last three months since colon cancer surgery has been minimal. For multiple reasons, I have stayed very close to home. Yesterday was the first time I ventured out more than an hour away from the house. It was indeed good for my soul to be renewed with the wonders of God’s beautiful creation and the sacramental life of the Church.

Margaret and I arrived in Estes Park, Colorado early in the afternoon. After driving around town amid the throngs of people, we made our way back to Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church. The parking lot was empty, but thankfully, the sacristan arrived shortly after we did and unlocked the church. We had approximately 30 minutes before the Sacrament of Penance would be offered. Praying quietly in an empty church is always precious, but there is definitely a sense of added peace in this beautiful and sacred space.

Before we entered into the church, I took time to stroll around the premises. The stations of the cross and other small shrines dot the landscape with the lake and mountains in the background. Tranquility can be experienced on a whole new level in this setting.

During my downtime over these last few months, I have had the opportunity to spend much more time in prayer, reading Sacred Scripture, and doing other types of spiritual reading as well. Since the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have been reading a book written in the 1600’s by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s spiritual director. It is powerful indeed. The stained-glass window in the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus/Divine Mercy captured my attention. Reading words on a page stimulates one’s senses in a particular way, but seeing the depiction in art touches the heart in a very unique way as well.

The connection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Eucharist is experienced in an even more profound way on Corpus Christi weekend. Grace upon grace is poured out upon us.

The beauty of the church draws you into the sacred space ready for worship.

A stained-glass window of Our lady of the Mountains stands out prominently on the side.

“Be not afraid.” That serves as a good reminder from Pope St. John Paul II.

Timed entry into Rocky Mountain National Park is in effect from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Thankfully, our arrival at 5:30 pm not only provided us with easy entry into the park, but the animals were also active as well. We saw elk, deer, and turkey in numerous locations.

Although snowfall was limited during the winter, a few spring snowfalls provided a little moisture in the higher elevations.

Renewed in heart, mind, and spirit, we made our way back home. My stamina is not what it was before surgery, but it is improving. I am grateful for God’s many blessings in my life. The ability to enjoy this day was a tremendous gift.

Blessings and peace to each of you!

I have had the pleasure of visiting Trinity Heights a couple of times in recent years. It is well worth the time visit this serene and peaceful shrine. I just saw on social media that the new chapel built on the campus was blessed by the bishop recently. It looks like it is time for another road trip to see this beautiful addition.

There are beautiful churches all across the state of Iowa. This one is definitely worth the stop to visit. You may enter as a tourist, but you will leave as a pilgrim on the journey.

There are some secular sites to visit in the area after visiting our Lord.

The National Farm Toy Museum is worth a stop if you have any connection to agriculture in your background.

Field of Dreams is also nearby.

We were passing by Albuquerque, New Mexico recently while on vacation. It was about noon time and our son suggested going to Twisters for lunch.  At times like this I realize how difficult it is to keep up with what is impacting the lives of everyone.  I had never heard of Twisters.  It was then that I received a little schooling from our son about Twisters and “Breaking Bad.” 

I will admit that I don’t go to movies.  I refuse to pay high prices to watch questionable entertainment.  I watch very little television other than the news and a few old reruns of some shows.  I prefer to spend my time reading and writing.  However, that does sometimes put me at a disadvantage in regard to knowing what is happening in the entertainment world that is impacting God’s people.  Subsequently, I do try to pay attention so I at least have a clue.  Unfortunately, there are still times when I have no idea about some of these things.

I have never seen “Breaking Bad” and had never heard of Twisters.  Despite this absence in my social scene life continued on just fine.  As we entered Twisters and walked by “Walter’s Booth” (as noted by the yellow sign with arrows pointing downward), I had to ask about Walter.  We had our dining experience at Twisters and I learned a little about “Breaking Bad” before we continued the journey down the highway toward Flagstaff, Arizona.

In my training and formation to be a deacon it was really stressed that the deacon has a foot in the world and in the Church.  We are to build bridges of trust between the secular and the sacred.  We were instructed to meet people where they are and journey with them on their pilgrimage of faith.  I strive to do that without immersing myself too deeply in the cultural antics of the Hollywood elites. In my mind there must be a balance between having a basic knowledge of what is happening in the entertainment industry and crossing a line of decency and entering into immorality.  I prefer to err on the side of caution and prudence.

Anthony “Tony” Robbins has a quote that speaks well to this scenario.  “All the passion in the world won’t matter if you are running east looking for a sunset.” We can be knowledgeable of the ways of the world, but is it leading us to holiness?  If I spend more time immersed in entertainment venues to be in touch with the world, what does that do for my spiritual quest?  How does that bring me closer to Christ?  I readily accept the fact that there will be times I will be clueless about the “in things” of the world.  If I am remaining faithful in my pilgrimage toward Christ I can live with that.