From The Back Pews:

This past Sunday I was invited to attend a screening of the film “Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism.” The film was produced by Sisters Judith Ann Zielinski, Mary Savoie and Margaret Nacke.

The film’s plot revolves around the plight of sisters living behind the Iron Curtain at the end of War World II. The film highlights the sisters’ struggle to practice their faith, while enduring the loss of their convents, schools and hospitals — sometimes literally overnight. Many of the sisters endured exile to Siberia, where they were forced to work as farmhands and in factories. The sisters had to live out their vocations underground, resorting to taking their religious vows in secret and unable to wear the traditional veils.

The film can be purchased at www.interruptedlives.org.

What struck me as I watched this film is that many of the sisters featured in the film were no older than my generation is now. I asked myself, how would someone my age deal with the loss of their home and their family? How would we react if we had to wake up late one night, pack whatever we could carry and leave our homes, without being certain if we would ever return home?

?

This past Saturday I was privileged to return to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles for a special event the archdiocesan young adult ministry was holding.

Going back to the cathedral reminded me of my early days there as a volunteer serving at the 7 a.m. mass.

I missed the place.

There is nothing like being in a huge cathedral all by yourself in the early-morning hours, with the sun shining through the windows, casting magnificent shadows and rays of light all over the place.

So this week, I’ve decided to begin a series on the different worship houses in our area, mainly Glendale, Burbank, La Cañada, La Crescenta, Montrose — wherever I can go. I’m sure the nostalgia I experienced visiting the cathedral can be shared with other worshipers across town for their respective houses of worship. And just for fun, I’ll include a clue, at the end, to the next house of worship I’ll be visiting.

This week, I’ll start with the cathedral, because it’s the first time I’ve visited in a long while.

If you’ve never been to the cathedral, make it a priority to go sometime. Because I can fill columns and columns’ worth of information about the cathedral, I’ll stick with the basics.