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a blessing and a visit at st. joseph parish in marion

Story and photos by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

(Click on the photo to see a slide show of some of the photos from the bishop's time at the parish.)

Pastor and parishioners at St. Joseph Parish in Marion welcomed Bishop Edward K. Braxton to their 5 p.m. liturgy June 18 in their recently renovated church for his blessing of their new baptismal font and their new church doors.

The doors are unique in that they display a number of different styles of crosses in some of the glass panels in the doors. Above the doors is a stained glass arch with St. Joseph and the word “peace” written in a number of different languages.

“You come in with your cross, Msgr. Thomas Flach, pastor, said, “and you leave in peace.”

Stained glass panels on each side of the doors are expected to be installed this week, Msgr. Flach said.

When the blessings were completed, parishioners returned to their places in church for the liturgy to begin.

This was also a weekend when the bishop made his Parish Pastoral Visitation to St. Joseph’s. During his homily he greeted people individually, asking them how long they had been in the parish.

Before concluding, he invited parishioners to ask questions of him.

People asked questions on a wide range of topics, including whether conflict exists between science and religion.
“No,” the bishop said. “God created everything. It is not a contradiction of our faith: Religion asks why; science asks how.”

Before ending the liturgy, the bishop encouraged parishioners to “stay united to the church because the church unites you with Christ.”