Sunday, August 16, 2009

Churches Near Water
















I wondered why so many of the churches we have seen are built by water. When I saw a photo of a bride, dressed for her wedding, getting on a boat to go to the church; I realized that a boat was the usual mode of transportation.

I was told that most of the roads that are in Newfoundland have been built in the last 50 or 60 years. Most of the churches were built long before then. It makes sense that when your mode of transportation is via water that the churches are located conveniently beside it.

We were riding a ferryboat to Fogo Island when I met a family who was returning to the island where the parents lived when they were children. Somehow the father brought the conversation to religion. I asked what churches were on the island. He said that most churches are Anglican, United Church of Canada and Roman Catholic and that their social life was centered around the church they attended. The upper class attended the Anglican, the middle class the United Church of Canada and the poorer people, which included most of the Irish, attended the Roman Catholic. He was Anglican and married a Roman Catholic. He commented, “My family wasn’t happy with that.”

I noticed that most cemeteries, even those that aren’t close to a church building, are named for a particular denomination. I wonder if this causes problems in families even after they are dead.

1 comment:

Jerry and Suzy said...

We thought maybe the reason churches were near water was for full immersion baptisms! But your solution is more reasonable.