The big blogs (Amy and Mark, that is) have recently asked readers to mention things about Catholicism that are significant to them.

This is by no means as significant as the sacraments, but it’s an outgrowth of them.

The other evening my wife and I went to a parish festival in Northwest Denver -- not the parish mentioned in the link, their festival is next weekend (maybe we’ll be lucky enough to get to go there too!). We’d learned of it from the diocesan paper, as neither of us had any connection to the parish. Like most of northwest Denver, this neighborhood was once mostly Italian and is now mostly Latino. There were lots of older Italian folks (some with their kids and grandkids) and many neighborhood contemporaries. There was no ethnic tension at all, though. Had unspeakably tasty Italian sausage sandwiches and a nice pizza frita which, despite its name, is a dessert more related to the sopapilla than to what we call pizza. Could have had some good Mexican food too, had we had room for it. There were all sorts of entertainment options for young and old. There was an easy cordiality and sense of family that I’ve never seen at a secular festival. More than that, there was joy. Catholics – particularly those whose European connection to the faith is from Spain or Italy – are the most joyful of people, even when they’re sorrowful.

Oddest sight of the evening was the parish priest, who bears strong physical resemblance to a youngish St. Josemaria Escriva munching some popcorn and chatting with little children.