I received an email from Trip Advisor, almost immediately after I returned from New Orleans, suggesting that I check out St. Patrick’s Church! That was the main reason I visited the city! The Writing Marathon was the perfect excuse to visit in June but my main intention was to learn more about the church. My current novel began imagining a scene at the top of St. Patrick’s bell tower! I don’t review every place that I visit, so apparently, the travel site thought I’d missed it.

I drove past the church, every day in the early 1990s but only admired it. I never went in. I have visited, attended Mass and toured on my own on recent visits. This time, I scheduled an official tour on the day after the Writing Marathon. I went to Confession, Mass and stayed to pray the rosary with their small group during Adoration. The gentleman leading the rosary clearly knew everyone else, there and nodded to a different person to lead each decade. He nodded to me for the 5th decade! Afterwards, I had a lovely conversation with the woman who had sat in the pew in front of me. She invited me to many upcoming events at the church! I was truly sad to tell her I only had 24 hours left in the city, this time. New Orleans is a small town that pretends to be a big city. Talk to people! Even if you find you don’t know anyone in common–or especially if you don’t–people will invite you to something! Afterwards, I was given a guided tour and made a new friend in the church office! St. Patrick’s offers Masses in both English and Latin. I attended a Latin Mass, years ago when I was in town for a reunion. As a lifelong Catholic who had never attended a Latin Mass, I was a bit lost but captivated!

The arts and crafts style beauty is as much a character in my novel as any fictionalized human. Speaking of beauty, the original murals behind the altar were recently restored and are impressive! New Orleans is saturated in history and some sites retain their splendor. St. Patrick’s is not as old as it’s famous neighbor, St. Louis Cathedral (the oldest continually active church in the United States)! According to church history, St. Patrick’s was commissioned when the Irish Catholics in New Orleans grew tired of attending Mass at St. Louis Cathedral “where God spoke French.” If you are looking for a breathtaking church in New Orleans, you have a plethora to choose from but a visit to St. Patrick’s is worth your time!