On 1/6/09, I was able to finding myself Encountering the Religious Tradition of Christianity, more specifically Catholicism. I myself am a practicing Roman Catholic, but the experience of visiting the St. Francis Xavier Basilica and the Trappist's New Melleray Abbey was quite an insightful experience which opened my eyes to the fact that even within the same faith tradition, rituals and practices may and will differ from one another. Upon visiting the Basilica I was amazed at how much history affected the environment within the basilica. Upon entering you could see that there was much detail on the walls, ceilings, floors, altars, doorways...it was pretty much decked out from head to toe with statues, pictures, and many other important items. The structure of the church definately had the basic requirements that most churches have, the main altar and tabernacle being at the main focal point. The space of the Basilica was remarkable at catch the history of the church and it's beginning footsteps that were iniatiated by Christ. At first i was overwhlemed by the amount of detail that was everywhere, but eventually it became eyes for me to point everything out.
The other location, the Melleray Abbey, was dramtically different to the Basilica. For all of the Monks that where there, they practice a life of simplicity in which they try to strip themselves of all the layers which the world has put onto themselves and they try to reveal the true people God intended them to be. Their Chapel was amazing natural to the point that it became easy for the eyes to look at. The walls were made of stone and plain, there were no stain glass windows, no statues, and nothing that was unnecessary to worshiping the Lord. They lived a life a natural beauty, and through this lifestyle they discover the plan which God had for them and all of creation.
After looking at both of these locations, I gained a lot of personal insight. Even though I understand that our history is important to know, the Basilica carried itself as being to busy, and the nautral atomosphere of the Abbey was the perferred one by me.

Until my next adventure...Emilio