Our Mission
We are a center for experiential education, rooted in the Gospels, encouraging the transformation of human consciousness through contemplation, and equipping people to be instruments of peaceful change in the world.
Passage and Verse | August 2011
St. Francis Church, Golden, New Mexico
By David McKee
Copyright David McKee 2011
I love to hike in New Mexico and I enjoy photography, and most of the time I combine the two. I especially love to photograph old Spanish churches. My belief is that everyone has God-given talents, mine is image-making. I feel connected to God when I’m working on photography or while I’m hiking.
One Saturday afternoon I was driving north along the Turquoise Trail—heading for the Cerrillos Hills—looking for a place to hike and shoot some photos. As I was driving through the small town of Golden, New Mexico, I spotted a little Spanish church on top of a hill. I turned off the main road and drove up a dirt road to the top of the hill, to the little church of St. Francis. I gathered my camera and gear, got out of my car and began photographing the church and the surrounding area. After a few minutes my photo shoot was interrupted by a man who questioned why I was taking photographs of the church. I explained to him that this is what I do, and that I love the architecture and beauty of the old Spanish churches. We talked for awhile longer. He explained that during the mid-19th century his great-great grandparents had built this church and that he was responsible for the maintenance. Then he asked if I’d like to see the interior of the church.
I was glad to be invited into the cool interior because it offered me refuge from the summer heat. Although it was humble and small, the church was quiet and beautiful. It was obvious to me that it was built and maintained with love and respect. As I sat there in the rough-hewn pews for a few minutes, I thought about my day and the things that led me to this moment. I placed my hands on the thick adobe walls and felt the grooves left by the hands of those who had built the church. I felt a connection to those people and was thankful for the gift of being there for a few minutes.
I’m always surprised by the gifts I receive from God when I’m out for a hike or photo shoot.
