”. . . and there’s just so much to see”

Spent a couple of days in Arizona at the end of last week. The highlight was a few hours in Sedona. Yeah, I know there’s lots of new age kookiness there. Although, to be fair, there didn’t seem to be that much more of it there than anywhere else in the western US.

Sedona is breathtaking. There are numerous impressive rock formations in a palette of reds. Unlike many of the west’s other rock areas, there’s quite an abundance of vegetation too. There are many gentle rolling hills and a few steep hills. Of course there are lots of folks building there, but for the most part they’re keeping things pretty unobtrusive. As befits such a place, there are several artists in residence. We bought a couple of pieces, furthering the southwest look of our home.

In Sedona, the must-see location is the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Best of all, it’s Catholic! Several years ago, a sculptress decided she wanted to build a chapel in memory of her parents. She wanted the chapel to stand on solid rock with a towering cross. In Sedona, she found a fitting site. The chapel is available for prayer very nearly every day, but masses are not said there. It can’t hold more than maybe 60 people. Even so, if it were available for weddings, it probably wouldn’t be available for anything else!

Bonus: since I’ve often derided OCP and GIA when they are in the wrong, I have to give GIA credit for the CD they sold in the chapel’s gift shop. It’s called “Catholic Latin Classics” conducted by Richard Proulx © 2000. It’s a first-rate recording and exactly what one would hope to find promoted by a Catholic publishing house.