How nine families started a nearly 200-year-old testimony of faith

End Times, Short Times, Faith Times

Are you prepared for the end times? Does thinking about the end times make you uncomfortable? Do your kids ever ask about the end of the world and what that means?

There probably isn’t a Christian who has walked this earth who hasn’t given some thought to the end times, and rightfully so. This time of year, especially, brings to mind thoughts of beginnings and endings, life and death, and the end times. This autumn of the life cycle of nature reminds us that we do not live on this earth forever. The feasts of All Saints and All Souls, which we just celebrated, also remind us of our mortality and purpose as people of faith. Now, as we approach the season of Advent, we will hear readings that focus on our need to repent and keep awake, “for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:44).

On a recent trip to the South Shore of Nova Scotia, I attended a Catholic church I had never been to before, and I couldn’t help think of how the idea of the end times relates to the timelessness of our faith. I was struck by the simple beauty of St. Gregory Church in Liverpool, which is historically not known as a Catholic area. Largely populated by Protestant “New England Planters” after the expulsion of the primarily Catholic French Acadians in the mid-1700s, the South Shore of Nova Scotia is certainly home to more Protestant churches than Catholic. But here was an almost 200-year-old testimony of faith.

Walking up to the doors of the simple, small, wooden church, I was moved by a plaque detailing some of the history of St. Gregory’s. The parish was established in 1829 by nine local Catholic families, most of whom were of Irish descent and came to Liverpool via Newfoundland. The small band of faithful bought a parcel of land for 20 pounds, and built the sanctuary that same year, the same sanctuary still in use today.

I thought of those first nine families walking up to their new church almost 200 years prior. Yes, the Mass has changed, the outfits have changed, and the world has changed, but the faith has not. my daughter and I, sitting in those pews in 2022 as strangers in the community, were not strangers at all, in faith. We could sing the familiar hymns and say the responses with the rest of the congregation. We approached the altar with the same reverence to receive the body and blood of our Lord in the Eucharist. Those families were not unlike my family, with daily struggles and worries, but with roots firmly planted in the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

The impact those families had on Catholicism in this part of the world is still visible, and it made me question what my impact, through the grace of God, is or will be on the Church in my community. Because, after all, isn’t that why we need to be mindful of end times? If we believe what Jesus said in Matthew 25:13, that we “know not the day nor the hour,” then we must live every day like it could be our last, and that means our last chance to leave our unique imprint of faith in this world.

Contemplating the picturesque St. Gregory Church, with its pretty golden-leafed maple tree out front, giving shadow to the graves of the Catholics of Liverpool, I couldn’t help but be grateful for this faith that has endured the test of time. And I couldn’t help but be reminded of the brevity of life, the brevity of the opportunity we are given to do something for the Lord in this life, so we can spend eternity with him in heaven.

Even before St. John the Baptist warned us to repent because “the time is at hand,” people have wondered when the end times will come, some even predicting specific times. While this can be a cause for worry and fixation for some, it really should be a cause for action and motivation. Tell your children that Scripture says the Second Coming, which we prepare for every Advent, is not about fear, but rather fulfillment of God’s promise to restore all things in Christ. Then help them discern what God wants them to do to help get ready.

Lazzuri writes from her home in Nova Scotia, where she lives with her husband, six children, and her mom. She can be reached at [email protected].

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