Setting Our Hearts Aflame
Finding Hope, Joy, and Jesus: at Gillette
I shall walk before the LORD in the land of the living…
Psalm 116:9
On Presidents’ Day I took my mom into Gillette to get her first vaccination shot. When we pulled into the parking lot there were a ton of people milling about. Some going into Gillette, others coming out– many elderly on canes, walkers and wheelchairs. As my mom and I approached the doorway we saw many volunteers and greeters ready to show us where to go. I hadn’t seen this many people in one place since the pandemic shut us down! After mom got her shot we needed to wait a while and we people watched. Everyone was wearing masks, of course, but yet on people’s faces I could see hope and joy. One particular woman I saw radiated with hope and joy as she and a loved one received the vaccine. We all have been through so much this past year it was amazing to be with so many hopeful and joyful people. The joy and love of Jesus could be seen in every masked person I saw– from the clinicians, and greeters to the elderly and their loved ones.
As we left we went by the huge glass windows where we could see the entire stadium and the field with the Patriots’ logo. I could not help but to snap a few shots on my phone. Here I felt my dad’s spirit come upon me, as he was a huge Patriots fan. I could feel my dad’s joy from heaven above at us being there. For the first time in a very long time I felt as if I were back in the “land of the living” where Father, Son and Holy Spirit were watching over us. Who knew I would find such hope and joy at Gillette Stadium?
As an aside… as I looked down at the field I fondly recall the day Fr. John Sheridan and I trekked to Gillette Stadium to film a promo for our fledgling Cranberry Catholic Collaborative. This was another time I felt hope and joy at Gillette as it was the very beginning of our collaborative and what things we were about to accomplish! While the pandemic has put an end to many of our ministries it has not put an end to the solid foundation we built and now use as St. Isidore Parish. We were one collaborative and now we are one family ready to begin anew and I look forward to the day in the near future where we can worship and minister together again. Peace be with you, Holly
Holly Clark
Pastoral Associate