Wimbledon

My mom says everyone needs a spiritual home, and she is right. Amidst all of the adventures and traveling and enjoyment, it is a lonely time being away from my communities of faith at home and at LMU. I have been living in that "foreign land" that we discussed on Iona and it has been a time of great yearning - yearning for that safe haven that is Church. And this loneliness has only been growing with a few rough experiences at local churches here in London. What a challenge it must be for the great number of people who so often feel this loneliness within our parishes! In this way it has been a blessed reminder of the peace and security which I have found in my spiritual homes; it will also be a great challenge to keep this feeling in mind when I return to my communities which also have strangers and newcomers who are yearning for the same Church for which I now find myself longing. And though it has taken time, hope, and patience I have found the beginnings of a spiritual home in the town of Wimbledon at Sacred Heart Parish, about three quarters of an hour away from my flat in Kensington. And feeling at home already, I have jumped right in. I will be joining a wonderful group of musicians at the 5pm Sunday mass, to make music, share in community, and begin to find my place in my new home.