Thinking about the Kennedys

This week I have been thinking about the Massachusetts Kennedys. They seem to leave a generous sprinkling of faerie dust on the American landscape wherever they go. That was certainly true of John F. Kennedy, who died tragically almost forty-five years ago. If you were alive and aware then, you probably remember where you were on that day.

The senior members of the First African Baptist Church on Cumberland Island, Georgia, know where they were that day. They were holding a memorial service and all their neighbors were invited. As you might imagine from the photos posted here, it was tough to pack everyone into the church.

On September 21, 1996, John Kennedy, Jr. married Carolyn Bessette in this very church. John had good connections on the island, and they were able to get married out of the media spotlight. The paparazzi would gladly have crawled on their bellies through the miles of saw palmettos for even one photograph, but the good folks at the First African Baptist Church were able to host this event in relative peace.

The service was late getting started and had to be lit by borrowed flashlights. A Baptist choir leader sang "Amazing Grace" as Carolyn walked in and "Shall the Circle be Unbroken" as the couple walked out. A Roman Catholic priest from New York officiated. The happy couple deserved all the joy and privacy they could be afforded, because less than three years later they died in a plane crash.

The First African Baptist Church was glad to have obliged John and Carolyn on their joyous day. They were there, and one thing churches are good at is to be "there" in good times and in sad times.


In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church-Episcopal
Billings, MT
406-208-7314
http://www.holycrosschurchbillings.org/
Photos taken December 6, 2007