Reminders of the Holy: Tiny Chapels

One of the many tiny backyard chapels of the Greek islands

How do you experience the Holy?

I confess, have always had a "thing" for tiny chapels.   And yes, although I do love cathedrals and other houses of prayer, tiny chapels hold a special place in my heart.

Have you ever found one of these little gems as you explored off the beaten path somewhere?  Teeny, tiny, cute...and very special!


When I visited the Greek islands many years ago, I was delighted to find many little chapels, most of them white with blue doors.  In fact, many houses had their own private little chapels in their backyards!


Now, for someone who has a thing for little chapels, I thought this was pretty cool.

Many of these chapels are no larger than the size of a large garden shed.   They maybe allow a maximum of perhaps six people inside.  Maybe ten if it is a larger tiny chapel. 


But size, numbers and 'heads in the pews' were not the point.  These are holy places, a place to rest and pray.  A quiet, peaceful place....to listen, and perhaps be alone... with God.

St Nikolaos Chapel, Mykonos

Wonderful reminders of the Holy in our busy, fast paced world.


This is St Nikolaos Chapel in Mykonos.  Notice it is right next to the water and boats.   St Nikolaos is the patron saint of Greece, and the protector of sailors.


Here are some photos of beautiful little chapels for you to enjoy.

Tiny chapel in town, Mykonos

Here (to the right) is a tiny chapel in town in Mykonos.  And yes it really does hold worship services, smells, bells, incense and all!

Tiny Roadside Chapel, Salome, Arizona

But let us not overlook our tiny chapels here in the USA.  In the American southwest, (my home) we may not have as many tiny chapels as Greece, but we do have some! 

Tiny Chapel near Yuma, A

Here is a photo of a tiny roadside chapel in Salome, Arizona.
 
And here is another tiny chapel near Yuma, Arizona.  I read a farmer built this in memory of his wife.   Unfortunately, I also read the chapel was damaged in a storm most recently.
And this little backyard chapel is just a few blocks from my home in Phoenix.  It is actually a monastery, the Holy Stavropegial Monastery of St. Anthony. 


There are so many ways to see, hear, taste and experience the Holy.  I know not everyone gets into little chapels like I do.  But I do know that each of us has that special something, whatever it may be.  


What is yours?

Modern Day Monk

Have you recently perused the classifieds and looked at what jobs are available ?   Notice a great many of them, in fact I would say the majority, say something like,  "must be able to work in a fast paced environment".

Have you ever noticed how we say certain words and phrases, as they are the thing to say, sometimes without even thinking about it?  For example, the big little phrase these days is "real quick".  Such as, "I just need to check this, real quick."   Or, "I just need to do this, real quick..."

Everything is "real quick", and "fast paced".  

It seems there just are no jobs out there if you want one with low stress,  a slower pace, with decent pay and not have to do things "real quick"!    I should add, for many careers, not having to work 80+ hours a week!

We have become adrenaline junkies, caffeine addicts, take massive amounts of vitamins and or supplements for energy, etc.  We have become a society that is driven, intense, workaholic, sleep deprived, vacation and rest deprived and deal with great amounts of stress.

All my life I have had fast paced jobs, have worked multitudes of hours every week, and have dealt with extreme stress, especially the past few years with family tragedies and global deployments.

Is it any wonder I got sick last year?

Well, I have been given the blessing of having my life again.

St. Benedict giving his "rule" (teachings) to his monks

And I do not want to work 80+ hours a week....I do not want to do things, or anything for that matter "real quick".  And I most certainly do not want to be in an intense, fast paced environment!

Eesh!

What if we said, "I just need to do this, real slow!"

And I will continue to look in the classifieds for a job ad that says, "must be able to work in a slow paced and relaxed environment!"

I think I will become a modern day monk!  

Join me, if you dare!

More Stories from the Edge..."Chaplain, what if they have it right?"

Prayer Room in Abu Dhabi Mall

When I was in Arabia a few years back,  I would take people to various places for rest and relaxation. 

The city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates was (is) very beautiful and not so unusual looking to me, being I am from the American southwest.  Desert, date palm trees, bougainvillaea, tall buildings, malls, giant gas stations, huge hotels, and intensely hot, steamy weather.  The big difference was that we were next to a large and very aqua-blue body of water, the Persian Gulf. 

Being it is a Muslim country, naturally there were / are numerous mosques all over the place.  On every street corner, mosques, domes and minarets large and small, everywhere!

And I mean everywhere.  Most gas stations even had a small mosque (with dome), just in case the people wished to go and pray.  Even in the malls, there are prayer rooms.

Keep in mind, devout Muslims pray five times a day.  You hear the call to prayer all over the place at various times of day wherever you go.    When the call to prayer comes, many people would stop what they were doing and go to do their prayers. 

It was pretty neat to see and hear.  There are reminders of God and places to pray all over the place!

One day, a young USAF captain was talking to me about this,  and she asked, "Chaplain, what if they have it right?"

She was not talking about the religion itself (Islam).  She was talking about the numerous reminders of God and places to pray all over the place in this country and culture. 

In the USA, would you ever see people stop shopping in the middle of a mall to run off and do their prayers?  Or while they stop and get gas?     Well, I have never seen any prayer rooms at a mall in the US.  Or at gas stations for that matter. 

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE

OK, well, I have seen tiny chapels or prayer rooms at airports in the US.  And they are usually teeny tiny, off the beaten path and difficult to find.

It was refreshing to see all the reminders of the Holy everywhere you went in this Arabian country.

And I wonder, in that sense, maybe they do have it right...

What do you think?