This past weekend I was in St. Louis, MO. St. Louis is a beautiful city, and still has many of the architectural features the original settlers brought over here from France. The botanical gardens of St. Louis are a feast for the eyes.

The huge arch is like a magnet, and I was drawn to it, first thing, as I was driving along the highway. It is a tribute to America’s westward expansion after the Louisiana purchase which included Missouri. It sits in a magnificent park. As I stepped onto the park, a young couple on bicycles asked me to take their photo with the arch in the background. I was delighted to oblige. They asked me where I was from, and when I said Ireland, they told me their heritage was Irish also. (Everybody I meet on my travels seems to be Irish in some way or other.) We hooked up together as we strolled through the park: myself walking, and my young friends pushing their bicycles alongside. They were a jolly couple and I enjoyed their company and spirited conversation. It was a touching first impression of St. Louis.

I visited the Basilica Cathedral in St. Louis. From the outside, the architecture is Romanesque, but inside, it is totally Byzantine. A tour was going on when I stepped inside. The guide said to me: “You’re welcome to join us.” There were only two other people in the tour.

The tour was great, and the guide pointed out details I would never have noticed without her help. One thing the guide said, amused me. The Cardinal, responsible for building the Church, wanted a Byzantine, domed interior. He maintained it reflected a completeness to worship more than the gothic, arched ceilings that were interrupted by the cornerstone in the center. Who would have thought of that! “So, that’s the reason,” our knowledgeable guide pointed out, “for the awesome Byzantine, circular domes.” The guide also pointed out a strange irony: the Cardinal never saw the completion of his Cathedral with the uninterrupted, circular domes. He visited Ireland after attending a meeting in Rome, and dropped dead.

Air travel can be an adventure. I met a friend on the plane from Palm Beach. Jorge Sanchez is a native of Cuba and is a wonderful landscape Architect. He was very helpful to me when I was building the new Church in Okeechobee, FL. He told me he and his wife visited Ireland for the first time and loved it. He was visiting his son and grandchildren in San Diego this time and we had time for a chat in Atlanta while awaiting our next flights.

I was so happy to meet him, and we talked about getting together when we got back to Florida to discuss his experiences in Ireland.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy