Several members of the clergy and congregation have graciously recounted what first brought them to St. Francis and why they stay there. The following are their stories.
Deacon James Ascareggi
The first time I came to this church was 18 years ago, on Easter Sunday. I had been to several churches and there was nothing out there that intrigued me. When I lived in New York I investigated different paths, but the one that appealed the most to me was Unity, in Manhattan, and I used to go their services. But there was always something missing and I didn’t know what it was.
Years later, in Chicago, a friend approached me and gave me a piece of paper she had torn out of The Monthly Aspectarian, a local New Age magazine. On the paper was an ad for the upcoming Easter service at The Liberal Catholic Church. I took it home and propped the paper slip up on one corner of my kitchen table. It laid there for a long time and whenever I walked into my kitchen that slip of paper was the first thing I would notice. I sensed an energy there and decided to look into it. I told Julie Hamilton, now Deaconess at the church, that I was going to Easter service and she asked if she could come too. I wore a nice suit and tie and Julie wore a black and white polka dot dress. We walked into church and noticed that everyone else was casually dressed.
We sat down in one the of pews and the mass started. By the time it was over I felt that I was no longer Earthbound. It was the first time in 30 years that I had received the Sacrament of Communion.
The idea of reincarnation had been on my mind a lot. It seemed a logical thing. Because how can you grow spiritually and do it all in one lifetime? The next time I came to church, which was the following Sunday, a young red-headed guy greeted me and said, “Hi, I’m T. Metz.” We started a conversation and he said something about reincarnation. I asked him if the people in the church held a belief in reincarnation and he replied that they did. Well, I thought to myself, I’M HOME!
From that time on, I’ve had a kind of a love affair with the church. I love the church; it’s given me so much. And it’s taught me how to get out of my own way and become a vehicle to serve others.
When Bishop Lawrence Smith first asked me to serve at the altar, I was afraid that I wouldn’t know what to do up there. It was on a Christmas Eve that I served at the altar for the first time. Little by little I became familiar with the ritual and have missed serving only a few Sundays since.
The last time I saw Bishop Lawrence was at the ordination of Fr. Jeffrey Forth in June of 2005. Bishop Lawrence was so ill he had to be brought into the church in a wheel chair. When I bent down to embrace him he kissed me on the cheek and thanked me for taking care of the church.
Deacon James Ascareggi
Ann E. Bermingham
Charles E. Bermingham
Rabecca Colin
Vicki Fitzmaurice
Rev. Jeffrey Forth
Julie Hamilton
Rev. Terrence Metz
New Stories to be added....
