Field Trip: Co-Catherdral of the Sacred Heart

I thought a good way to combat the "homeschooling blahness" would be to take a field trip and I had been wanting to see the Co-Cathedral in downtown Houston for a while. So, on Friday, November 12, the Nelli Family attended daily mass at this BEAUTIFUL church! For the benefit of those who would like to go, parking is free for daily mass and there is no problem finding a place to sit. This huge church made almost entirely of marble is probably full to capacity on Sundays but on that particular Friday there were probably only about 100 people there for mass and it seemed very empty. Emily loved seeing the 8 foot tall carved statues in the shrines of her beloved saints - Martin de Porres, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Juan Diego, Anthony of Padua, Therese of Lisieux and Joseph. I have been studying the saints with her since she was 3 years old and it was so sweet to see her eyes light up in recognition of her "friends" the saints. It struck me that having a faith you spend your whole life studying is something very precious. My 7 year old daughter pointed out a dozen things to me in her first five minutes inside the church. She noticed the 3 interlocking circles in the marble floor as we entered the church as being representative of the Blessed Trinity. She recognized the sacred heart of Jesus in a stained glass window and the dove representing the Holy Spirit at the top of the dome in front of the alter. She might not realize it yet, but I can see that the recognition of these sacred images are already bringing her comfort and I hope they continue to do so as she grows in her faith.

The self guided tour book can be purchased for $5 at the parish office across the street. The kids were given rosaries and holy cards in addition to our tour book. We even got to visit with a very sweet sister on her way out the door. After mass, we had a snack and tried to see as much of the church as we could. We had the place to ourselves for the most part and took some time to admire the stained glass and read as much as we could about the beautiful religious artwork we found inside. Now that I have the guide, I can study up for our next visit! With small children, it helps to be educated before trying to share new things with them. My kiddos respond better to the, "hey look at this"... rather than listening to Mom read long paragraphs out of the book. Ah well... I'm learning. All in all, a successful outing.