…are to be expected.
There is some headway in my search for a venue. Because I am Catholic, it seems significant, if only symbolically, to start this production at a Catholic church.
Across the street from the campus is the St. Paul Catholic Student Center, and this seemed like a great place to start. This might be an ideal venue to incubate the project, get feedback, and learn how BSU students might react to it. I went to the student center, and was immediately told that I am too old to be welcome there. It was a remarkably rude rejection, and immediately lowered my opinion of the center and those involved in it. I then sent a letter to the pastor, Fr. Dail, explaining that the Gospel of Luke presentation would be my senior project, and asking if the St. Paul student center might be a venue for developing it. His rejection was categorical. They were not interested.
This was both surprising and insulting. I am not sure what motivates that group, but clearly it would not be worth putting more effort in that direction.
I wrote a letter to the pastor of my parish church in Meridian, explaining my senior project, and asking if there might be an opportunity to perform there. There hasn’t been any response. There doesn’t seem to be any interest.
These two places left me in deep doubt about the course I was pursuing. If my local churches weren’t interested, who possibly would be?
But at a third Catholic church, there has been interest. I expect to schedule a presentation in the next week or two, for the first public performance of the Gospel of Luke. And the audience might include local school officials, who can then judge if it would be a good program for their schools.
I think this is an important project, with real value. That conceit is what keeps me pushing for options, even when some doors remain closed. Rejection was temporarily demoralizing, but my attitude is that I am making an offer, and those who reject are losing a valuable opportunity. Development may be slow and halting, but there is no other path but to push forward.
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