(This article begins a year-long reflection in Ministry and Liturgy Magazine on my experiences at the Downtown Chapel (now named Saint Andre Bessette Church) in Portland, OR. I want to thank Ada Simpson, the editor for her willingness to use my reflections as feature articles in the ten magazines for 2015.)
Part I: Our holy odors of belonging
“Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial
offering to God for a fragrant aroma” Eph 5:2
I visited the Downtown Chapel in Portland, Oregon a month before I moved into the parish. The pastor, Fr. Bob Loughery, C.S.C. picked me up at the airport in the early, rainy February evening and brought me back to the all beige building on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Burnside in Old Town. As we approached the front door, I heard drug dealers shouting from the end of the block and a bustle of activity from a nightclub across the street. I felt tension in my neck and shoulders and uncertainty about what this move would mean for my life.
Bob unlocked the door and assisted with my suitcases through the threshold into the small, empty lobby. He watched my face drop as I noticed the rank smell of dirty bodies lingering in the air. He told me the reason for the violent smell. People stream into the small space throughout the day searching for the basics of life. The stench of wet backpacks and damp clothing of people surviving the winter hang on the walls long after they return to the streets. The strong, thick odor caught me off guard as well as the reasons for the smells. Bob responded to my apprehension and quickly said to me, “Oh, you’ll get used to the smell, don’t worry.” Continue reading
