I stopped by St Mary's in Savannah and St Andrew's in Lexington, wile returning home.

I stopped by St Mary's Church in Savannah and St Andrew's Church in Lexington, while on the drive home from Savannah.

The 2 year old church in Savannah, St Mary's reminds me of a smaller version (very small) of St Paul's in Memphis. Fr. Tom Kirk did a great job putting the plans together. Compared to the old church built by Fr Celestine (Pfanstiniel) is like night and day. I'll bet Fr Celestine is both smiling from above and thinking to himself how nice it is.

I stopped and prayed at St Mary's in Savannah. It is a very prayerful place.

I made a special stop over in Lexington at St Andrew's. Fr Pugh worked with me when I was a kid on my Boy Scout Pope Pious XII religious award. He had people waiting on him there. He had at least 3 individual or couples and one he was already in conference. I will make another effort to stop by on Thursday.

It appears from looking in that Fr Pugh is trying to soften the drab concrete look (floors, walls, fountain) of St Andrew's. If memory serves me, it was built with an Extension Society grant during Bishop (now Cardinal) Stafford's tenure as Bishop of Memphis.

Mentioning Cardinal Stafford, it is amazing that nothing has been done in his honor with recognition of his ascent to the status of Cardinal. There is a lot of stuff in Memphis connected Cardinal (Cardinal Stritch), but nothing connecting Cardinal Stafford with his tenure in Memphis. Go figure!?!?!

To rural Catholics in West Tennessee Cardinal Stafford probably spent and developed more in the rural areas than has been done by others. So being a longtime rural resident and remembering things like the storefron Parsons & Lexington churches, the old church in Savannah built mainly by Fr Celistine hands, and the old house in Martin TN that Fr Schola used for the handfull of catholics up there in the 70's, I have to thank Cardinal Stafford for his willingness to invest in the rural areas.

Both churches in Savannah TN and Lexington TN are fortunate to have such talented priests. To me both are brilliant and spiritually strong priestly ministers. Rural West Tennessee's gain is most assuredly Memphis' loss. I still miss Fr Tom Kirk on that old show, "What is your Faith". Add Fr Joel Schultz, Fr Mickey, and Fr Hood....it seems the rural area has the best of the best priests.