Bardstown Spiritually

Bardstown is charming city well worth the visit. Established around the time of the revolution, it boasts America's oldest stagecoach stop. It is a relaxing and enchanting place to spend an afternoon strolling about, visiting shops, restaurants and bars.  It is also, I discovered, a place to be greatly inspired and connect with God. This is one of the most well kept secrets about this city, and this is the last of three posts about Bardstown.

Spirituality. It is my viewpoint that everyone is on their own path. The individual's path needs to be respected. Some people look at your path and if they don’t like the way it looks, the things you see, or the direction it is going, then they want to knock you down or push you in another direction, or destroy you for being on a path they don't like. Those people are called fundamentalists, and they are dangerous in any religion; Christian, Muslim, Pagan, Martian Overlord, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Church of the Jedi ... Doesn’t matter. Trying to control another person's beliefs is wrong and doesn’t work. Faith is one of the things human beings are willing to die for, so you are a fool to try to change it. I am more than happy to tell you about my own, if you want to know, but I'm not here to sell it to you.

I discovered a rich spiritual heritage in Bardstown. I am a reporter. I am not an evangelist or a crusader. I report this rich spiritual heritage of this city with reverence, respect and a little bit of awe. But I am not trying to convert anyone. In fact, the faith I pay homage to here, is not my own.

Bardstown has a rich Roman Catholic history, and is a very important place in American Catholic history. In fact, this is largely understated. There are three significant Catholic institutions here. Bardstown really ought to be a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site. Yet I came upon this realization for myself, merely by observing a confluence of forces. Lets put this in perspective…this is the buckle of the Bible belt. Protestants, Baptists, Fundamentalists, Pope-haters, and Uncle Jed shooting up some grub. In this setting, it is surprising indeed that Kentucky would play an important role in American Catholic history.

St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral  

St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral  

I am not Roman Catholic, I am an Orthodox Christian. I have lots of friends and family who are Roman Catholic, and I respect their Christian journeys. I also recognize the profound impact the Roman church has had on Western European history and culture, and thus also the rest of western civilization. While I choose to be Orthodox rather than Catholic, I have respect for Christians who follow this tradition. In spite of its many dark problems and regrettable bits of history, I have respect for many of the deeply spiritual adherents I have known. Unfortunately, most American lack awareness that the Eastern church; the Orthodox church, has had an equally profound impact on it's regions of the world, but the US is a descendant of the west and most of our citizens are woefully unaware of Orthodox Christianity. We are the products of our heritage in some ways, and this leaves us ignorant of global truths and other paths. I guess the nut does not fall far from the tree, whether it is an eastern or a western nut, I am not saying.

In my quest for Bardstown enlightenment, I learned a lot about Roman Catholic spirituality, history and terminology. The Roman Catholic significance begins with St. Joseph Basilica. The cornerstone of the church was laid in 1815. The church is a Cathedral, and since it was the first cathedral in the area, it is a proto-cathedral. In 2008, Pope John Paul II designated it as a minor basilica. A Cathedral is the principal church of a diocese, and usually where the Bishop resides.

A Basilica is a church that has been granted special privileges by the pope. The word derives from Greek and means "royal house." There are two kinds of basilicas; Major and Minor. There are only four major basilicas, all in Rome, and these include St. John Lateran, St. Peter, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore).

Minor, or lesser, basilicas are significant churches all across the world (including Rome) that are given special ecclesiastical privileges. Minor basilicas achieve designation due to multiple reasons. These would include any combination of these: historical significance, architecture, art, impact as places of worship. Inside you will find three physical indicators that a church is a lesser basilica. One is the presence of the conopaeum — a yellow and red striped silk canopy (traditional papal colors). Another is a bell called the tintinnabulum. These will be It is mounted on a pole and carried processional, at the head of the clergy on special occasions. Minor basilicas also have the right to display the papal symbol (crossed keys) on banners, furnishings, and the seal of the basilica.  There are close to 1600 Basilicas world wide, and 69 in the USA.

The fact that this church was the first cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains is significant because this means it was the first time a Roman Catholic Bishop was needed west of the original 13 colonies. Roman Catholicism in the USA was spreading to the west and taking a hold, and Kentucky was the first place to prove it. The Diocese of Bardstown was established in 1808, and was the first inland diocese in the USA. In 1841 the head of the diocese was moved to Louisville, which is still the current seat. St. Joseph's designation was changed from Cathedral to Proto Cathedral, to honor her place in local history; since the Bishop no longer resided there, it could not be further referred to as a cathedral.

Visit them for Mass, and check out their website.

St. Joseph Basilica 

Another significant institution is the Abbey of Gethsemane, a Trappist monastery. An Abbey of course, is a home and workplace for monks or nuns. A monastery is specifically for monks. We also have monks and nuns and monasteries in orthodoxy, as they were developments that happened before the schism around 1000 A.D. that resulted in two churches; the east and the west. A Trappist monk is one of the Cistercian, founded in 1664 and are notably austere, with rules that includes remaining silent for much of the time. So austere in fact, they have to play Pokémon Go with no sound.

A view of a small part of the exterior

Inside the church on the monastery grounds

Inside the church on the monastery grounds

A prayer and meditation chapel at Gesthamane Monastary 

There were many parts of the Abbey that were open to the public. Of course, there were very large areas of buildings and land that were only for the monks, as I would hope to be true, to allow them the peace and silence they need for their prayers, contemplations, meditations, so they have the internal spiritual strength to later give back to Catholic society; writings, counseling, guidance, or other ways of bolstering the Roman Catholic community.

The grounds were beautiful and peaceful and quiet. There was a chapel open to the public. We went in for prayer and mediation. We were in a loft, looking down. There was a solitary monk in robes kneeling and praying in the front. It was a very peaceful experience to consciously be in the moment. 

We also visited a lovely store with numerous handmade food products, made by the monks. These group is locally known for their excellent cheese. I was also impressed to see the numerous icons in the store, icons that were very similar to or sometimes even identical to the icons of my orthodox faith. Roman Catholics do not traditionally use icons nearly as much as orthodox, and seeing these in the store gave me a sense of the closeness of my traditions and faith to that of the roman church.

The Abbey offers spiritual retreats, and being Roman Catholic is not required. Visit them in person, or at this website.

Visit the Abbey of Gesthemane, and their website. http://www.monks.org

An amazing social institution exists in the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Started in Bardstown, KY in the 1800s, it is now a global charitable network that provides education, clean water and medicine to impoverished villages all over the world. They fight against human trafficking and for the environment. The depth and breadth of their impact is staggering, and I would direct you to their website to learn more: Sisters of Charity  http://www.scnfamily.org  Rather than go into detail about their phenomenal work, I will simply tell you about my experience at their world headquarters.

SCN, like the monastery, has an expansive tract of land. Rolling hills and trees, dozens of beautiful buildings set a scene of a pastoral and serene place to meditate and pray, as well as to create concrete plans and make the world a better place. Plans that actually get acted on, and effectively executed. The architecture was grand, as well as the interior. We had an impromptu tour by one of the sisters that had been there for decades. It could have lasted all day, but we only had a couple hours. One of the amazing things about the place, is it was set so far back from the road, that you would never know it was there driving past, and yet it was an enormous facility, larger than some small towns.

While I am not Roman Catholic, I am in awe of the impact of these Roman Catholic institutions from Bardstown; the positive impact they have on the world, as well as the Catholic community, and their significance in history.