Prayerful Churches of Choice

Glen McCullogh

On a previous trip to Europe to see our daughter we visited Lucerne. Seeking stained glass windows, we visited three churches in the city.

The first was the Cathedral of St Leodegar, which was baroque, over stated in its riches, and Christ wasn’t immediately obvious.

The second was the very beautiful but pristine Jesuit church on the other side of the river, full of tourists.

Foyer and Church

But just around the corner was the Franciscan church. It had a heavy curtain in the lobby keeping the noise out, and inside it was a much simpler church with a strong focus on Christ. There were a few people inside praying, and there was such a strong sense of prayer that we gave in to the urge to kneel and joined the prayers. That experience formed my preference for churches that are simple ones with a strong focus on Christ and a sense of intimacy, of being enfolded.

Inside the Church

Having said that, some of the churches I have described in previous articles didn’t always fit that description - but they did have something about them to excite me spiritually.