Could You Be Startin' From Somewhere Else? Quotes

“transformed all the world. In seventh and eighth grade, as an altar boy, I served High Mass or sang in the boys’ choir.The sense of participating in solemn rituals became immensely powerful, and it remains one of the most compelling memories of my childhood.”
― Michael Shurgot, Could You Be Startin' From Somewhere Else?: Sketches From Buffalo And Beyond

“Midnight Mass was required, and at Saint Aloysius, it lasted ninety minutes. Because the church was crowded with what Mother called “one timers” who attended Mass only on Christmas Eve, we arrived at 11:00 p.m. to get a seat near the front. The church was splendidly decorated. Poinsettias bloomed everywhere, huge wreaths and sprigs of holly tied with red bows hung on every pillar, potent incense enveloped us, and six tall candles burning on the main altar lighted our way out of the long, cold darkness. Carols sung from the choir loft filled the church and evoked the sensuous beauty and mystery of this holy night. While other children chatted with friends and showed off their holiday apparel, My PareNTs, gail aNd i, Mara aNd NiCho- las; ChrisTMas, 1974; CaNToN, ohio I sat quietly, awaiting the chimes that announced the first minutes of Christmas and heralded the solemn service: the priest’s white and gold vestments, his ritualized gestures, the Latin prayers, the incense, the communion service with the transfigured bread and wine, and the priest’s blessings from the high altar that together”
― Michael Shurgot, Could You Be Startin' From Somewhere Else?: Sketches From Buffalo And Beyond

“As I walked the grounds memories crowded my mind: countless Christmas Masses at midnight in the warm, sensuous church; my first communion; serving Sunday High Mass with its Latin prayers, rituals, and ringing bells; walking to and from school in all manner of weather; the crowded classrooms, and the strict Sisters of Saint Joseph”
― Michael Shurgot, Could You Be Startin' From Somewhere Else?: Sketches From Buffalo And Beyond