Dyersville Basilica and New Mellery Abbey

The Basilica was very interesting. John gave us a lot of interesting information about the Basilica's history and about the restoration of it also. There was many things I found interesting, for example, I thought when he explained the wall to us and how they took the old paint off and found the Latin story all around the church was really cool! That makes me what to learn Latin because it is such a pretty language. I was also very intrigued by the stain glass windows. Unlike the windows at Christ the King these windows reminded me of my church and made me feel a little more comfortable. The stain glass window in the back of the Basilica was absolutely gorgeous! I loved everything about it! Especially the colors! Most of the other parts of the church I thought were a little too much. It might have been the Christmas decorations but I thought there was just too much going on for me to actually sit in that church and listen to what the rector was saying. I thought all of the Coat of Arms were cool, especially the ones on the floor as you walk in and the one of the Pope. Overall, I thought this was a very pretty space, but there was too much going on for me to actually pay attention in church.

New Mellery Abbey on the other hand I thought was absolutely amazing! I loved everything about it. I especially loved the walls, I thought they were very pretty. I loved the simplicity of all of the rooms they had throughout the whole seminary. Father Stephen was an amazing guide, he had a lot of insightful information that I had never even thought about. Where they keep their Tabernacle is so cool, it is nice that they have a quiet and private place to pray and include their whole body and not just their mind and heart like he said. I also found the Crucifix they had very different. I thought it was a great representation of how Jesus came off the cross.

The Basilica was very different from New Mellery Abbey. The Basilica was very decorated with a lot of pictures and statues on the walls, whereas New Mellery was very simple with only one picture of the Virgin Mary. They were also different in the way they pray. At New Mellery they pray 7 times a day and most of it is public prayer, but they also have a lot of private praying, the public can come watch, but there are not many. At the Basilica they have regular masses, and they are for the public. At New Mellery they do have masses that the public attend, but not all of them, especially the ones at 330 in the morning!!

If I were to give a tour to someone who was not Christian, I could explain to them all of the statues and what makes them special to each place and explain the story of Jesus and hope they would understand. In the Basilica I could show each side, one who represented Mary and the other which represented Joesph. I could then point out they stories they had on some of the stain glass windows, although they are not as extensive as the ones in Christ the King, it could get the point across. I could then show the crosses and how different they are, and how different they can be, because of the many stages of Jesus' death and resurrection. If they were to ask me which space I liked better I would tell them New Mellery because it is simple and beautiful. I also like how peaceful it is and I loved that we could enjoy its natural beauty.

This trip was very interesting to me because I am not Catholic, I got to see a lot of different aspects of a different religion. I also thought meeting a Monk was cool because I never thought I would get to do that!