Finding a good fit in a church community is very important to Dave and me. Years ago, before we moved back to the mainland from Hawaii, I conducted a thorough search of area parishes to help us pinpoint a neighborhood. I actually sent letters to over a dozen church communities to request information and included SASEs for return mail. Based on what little replies I received, we chose our neighborhood and were happy with our choice.
When we moved back to Virginia Beach, we returned to our former parish in hopes of regaining our place in that community. For the most part, that worked out well, although, “our place” wasn’t a held position so there was some adjusting, but nonetheless, we did find our new place in short order and enjoyed our time there until again it was time to leave.
Choosing a new parish here is not so complicated. When we Googled Catholic communities prior to our house hunt, not so many names popped up. In fact, in the area closest to Dave’s office, two parishes were listed; Church of the Incarnation in Charlottesville and Shepherd of the Hills in a place called Quinque. We asked among our friends at St. Mark’s and many had heard of Incarnation and reported it was a dynamic parish with lots to offer. On the contrary, Shepherd of the Hills was only known as a mission parish from the church in Elkton and no one knew where Quinque was.
Our first Sunday in our new home, we decided to go with the known entity and attended Mass at Church of the Incarnation. Located about twelve miles south on Rt 29, it sits on a pretty lot on hill overlooking a Marriott Courtyard and a Toys R Us. The worship space was modern and comfortable, the people were friendly and the Liturgy familiar. After Mass, Dave stopped one of the choir folk to get a feel for group and was welcomed warmly. I think it’s safe to say we would be happy there.
Last week, we decided we would give Shepherd of the Hills a try. First, I printed out a map with directions so we could do an evening drive by. Mapquest let us down! Now that I look back, I think the map took us to the PO box at the Quinque Post Office instead of the actual church. Luckily, Quinque isn’t very big so we were able to navigate ourselves to our destination with ended up being exactly five miles door to door.
To get to Shepherd of the Hills Catholic Church, you have to turn off the highway onto a winding two-lane country road. Incredible views of the Blue Ridge are off to the right as you head round the bend where the church sits on the left. Mass was scheduled for 8:30 AM. On Sunday morning, with a less than ten minute drive-time we arrived about ten minute before Mass was to start. However, people were just beginning to trickle in and Mass didn’t actually begin for another fifteen minutes or so – sort of like “Hawaii time”. No one seemed concerned about the delay, in fact Father actually held up the procession waiting for people to be seated.
Mass was simple but complete. The choir was in fact a duet; a woman on keyboards and another on guitar. The worship space well lit and airy, and the tone relaxed and informal yet reverent. As I sat there, I thought how nice it would be to be a part of this community but with such a small music ministry, I didn’t think it would fill Dave’s needs.
On our way out, Father stood at the door greeting everyone. As I extended my hand he took it and said, “Tell me your name.” I introduced myself and then Dave piped in. We told him we’d just moved into the area and we were checking out the local parishes. He smiled and said he’d keep his fingers crossed that we’d choose them.
As we drove home, Dave said he thought maybe a smaller parish would be better for us, that they looked like they could use us. I agreed. Plus, he said, it was such a short drive and we’re early risers anyway. I agreed as well. So, he concluded, we should continue to attend Shepherd of the Hills for at least the next few weeks to get a real feel for the parish How could I argue?