Holy Week Ads and Catholic Church Names

During the local T. V. news here in Corpus Christi, various churches are running ads to encourage us to attend their Easter services. Bay Area Fellowship is promoting their new mall, stadium, amusement park church. First Baptist’s ad sounds, well, wonderfully Texas Baptist. You Yankees and Foreigners would be rolling on the floor, trust me.

But the ad that catches my attention the most is the one from Most Precious Blood Church . I think they left out Catholic in the ad. In any case, they downplayed that at least a bit. In fact, the ad almost made their church look like a hootenanny with a procession. But it’s a 30 second ad trying to attract people, so I don’t begrudge them that. And they do attract people. Their parking lot looks full when I drive past them on Sundays.

Anyway, the ad reminds me of a quirk of Catholics and of myself for that matter. I’ve always found it odd and irreverent even to name churches after such holy things as the Most Precious Blood of Christ. You say such things with hushed tones and bowed heads. You don’t name things after them, not even churches. Or so I think. Catholics obviously disagree.

Seriously, I think it encourages a casual attitude towards holy things. I’ve overheard conversations like this:

“Where do you go to church?”

“Oh, Most Precious Blood. How about you?”

You can imagine other possibilities.

“Now to get to my house, you turn right just after Most Precious Blood.”

What if they chose to have a school of the same name? (Later: Heck, they do have one!) What would their cheers be? “Go, Most Precious Blood! Go! Fight, Most Precious Blood, Fight!” No that’s a bit of a mouthful. How about “Go, Blood! Go!” No, I don’t think that will fly. Hmm, I wonder what Our Lady of Perpetual Help School does for cheers.

Anyway, I hope I’m not being irreverent here. But you can see why I think some things are so holy that the way to show proper reverence is not to name your church after them.

But I have to admit I find the Catholic tendency to do so endearing. If only my quirks were as questionable, I’d be doing well. Besides, I live in a town called Corpus Christi, and that rolls right off my tongue.

And, hey, “Holy Week” used not to be in my vocabulary, so you never know.

Speaking of which, have a holy Triduum.