"Togetherness" brings thousands of Minnesotans to Christmas Mass
MINNEAPOLIS -- While the Basilica of St. Mary in downtown Minneapolis has spent months planning for its Christmas weekend services, staff there say the work was well worth it.
"Holidays like Christmas and Easter draw more people to church," said Director of Worship Johan Van Parys. "It's like when people remember, oh yes, there is that thing that is called church, and they come back."
Van Parys says the church planned for nearly 10,000 parishioners to attend its eight Christmas weekend services.
"What we're doing today is celebrating the birth of Christ," Van Parys said. "That is the beginning of what we are all about is God becoming human so that we can become more like God. We celebrate that explicitly today, and of course, every time we gather for worship, that's what we celebrate."
People from throughout the Midwest filled the sanctuary for the 9:30 a.m. service Sunday.
"It's inspiring, and it's family tradition to come here," Bill Gardner of Minnetonka said. "Just that togetherness and that spirit that we have for each other, and for everyone around us. Friends, family, community, everyone around us."
"It intensifies the spiritual side of Christmas to come here," said Randall Napier, who traveled from Illinois. "There's the spiritual side, the birth of Christ, beyond that, it's the celebration of that, with family and friends. The food, the festivities, it's just wonderful."
"Day after day, it's stories about war, division, and our human nature is really quite broken. The story of Christmas is that you don't have to be like that," Van Parys said. "Every time we celebrate Christmas, it is God telling us, you can do better, you can be more like me."