Whenever I travel to parish functions around the diocese, I am always keenly aware of the possible disruption having my children tag along can cause. So, as we walked up to St. Joachim’s, I instructed my children to behave because they, too, were representing the diocese that day. After the beautiful Mass celebrated by Bishop Raica, the parish family gathered in a medium-sized room adjacent to the sanctuary for lunch. Every parishioner, it seemed, had contributed to the feast, complete with a cake for Bishop Raica to cut.

Expecting every parishioner to attend, tables and tents were set up outside to accommodate the overflow. Naturally, I directed my children to wait outside until I had gotten the shot of Bishop cutting the cake. With it being around lunchtime, my youngest was rather persistent in expressing her hunger. Again, having not contributed to the delicious-looking food, I told my youngest we would be on our way soon and that we would grab a bite to eat at the local fast-food restaurant.

Unbeknownst to me however, a parishioner overheard my conversation. He immediately insisted that my children fill a plate high with whatever food they desired, including cake! This gentleman even sat with us for the entire meal, making us feel a part of not only the celebration, but, more importantly, the parish family. This welcome and strong sense of community struck a chord with me because ever since having children, attending Mass has always been a requirement, for obvious reasons, yet the complete opposite is true when it comes to partaking in the life of the parish community.

By no surprise, when working on this issue, I experienced the same warmness and welcome as I did in Piedmont. When the kids and I traveled to Moulton to cover Resurrection Chapel, it was a rather long day: two Masses in a row may have been too much for the kids, but what they were able to witness was worth every minute. One parishioner and her family even offered to let us spend the night at her house since it was getting late. Likewise in Anniston at All Saints Catholic Church, Deacon Mike Cova, Parish Administrator Dianne Greene, and Director of Religious Education Rose Munford embraced our presence and welcomed me and my children, proudly sharing parish history, relics, and even some after-Mass doughnuts.

There is no question that every parish in this diocese has dedicated, selfless, hardworking parishioners, staff, and clergy, yet, from my experiences, I feel the rural Church is unique, which stems from ownership, intentionality, and Christ-centered relationship. So, whether you attend a large, medium, small, or even extra-small parish, I hope this issue’s glimpse into our diocese’s rural Church will do justice to the treasure that it is.