New Windows: The Real Holy Trinity Altar Society

New Windows

Joining the Holy Trinity Altar Society

In May of 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, I retired from thirty years of teaching middle school in Bossier Parish. My friends jokingly asked what I would do with all my spare time, and I always quipped back, “Whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it.” This snappy comeback faced a limited reality in the pandemic world, but I did manage to undertake some long-awaited chores and new crafts that I had been meaning to do but never had the time. With the rest of the world, I would venture out when necessary, but I was content to “do my thing” at home. I’ve always been a bit of a homebody. In 2021, when vaccinations became available, I was ready to venture slowly out into the world again. I wanted to see what window God would open for me next. I went to Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Shreveport for daily mass, and Father Duane Trombetta offered an opportunity to participate in ministry by helping the Altar Society work on a St. Joseph’s Altar display. My interest peaked, and I agreed, thinking I would meet with some sweet older ladies and lend them a hand for just a day. To my surprise and total delight, I met a happy crew of all ages, some younger, some older, and the crew even included a couple of gentlemen. I stood back, not wanting to get in the way or take anyone’s duty. Another delightful surprise appeared as members bounced ideas to and fro, giving suggestions and recommendations, and no one appeared to take over or bark orders. It was a true back and forth, cooperative interchange, and I loved it. There was a spirit of fellowship and camaraderie, perhaps driven by the Holy Spirit Himself. Soon after preparing the beautiful St. Joseph’s Altar, the Altar Society began preparing for Easter. They invited me to help, and once again, I felt welcomed and included immediately. Part of the crew worked inside the church, unpacking boxes and boxes of lovely Easter lilies, their scent filling the sanctuary. The members watered and placed them, once again with no big bosses ordering directions. There was an interplay of ideas with frequent synergetic phrases like, “What do you think if…Where could we…Here’s an idea… That’s good, and maybe we should...?” Once again, I witnessed a mutual discussion of ideas and people working collaboratively and respectfully toward a single goal, beautifying the church to enhance the liturgy. The other half of the crew went outside to the Prayer Garden and grabbed garden gloves and prepared the garden with mulch, bunnies, and bows. Again, young

and old alike took the task to heart, and we worked and laughed and played a bit, too. The same synergetic conversations that were taking place inside were taking place in the garden, perhaps even better because we could use our “outside voices.” Who would have thought about all the behind the scenes work that goes into beautifying a church? And who would have thought I would gain a whole new batch of friends in my retirement? I was so happy about my new friendships in the Holy Trinity Altar Society that I looked into other ways I could get involved with these truly Spirit-filled friends. My answer came in through Father Duane who asked the Altar Society to work together to create flower arrangements that would do justice to our beautiful sanctuary. Thus the flower crew was born. Three of us ladies and one gentleman started coming together one morning a week to collaborate and create with flowers and greenery, and I developed a new hobby. We took turns selecting flowers, and we foraged for our own greenery, with the one goal of creating aesthetic arrangements to complement our historic altar. We taught one another and learned from one another. We talked while we created and laughed often. We always prayed together for memorial arrangements. The flower crew has now become my steadfast friends, and the more we work together, the more we grow in our love for our church and our faith. Our crew is not exclusive, and we welcomed other members to join us any day in our flower fun. The Altar Society helped Holy Trinity with several more events including cleaning days on the second Saturday of the month, Coffee in the Courtyard, the Annual Fall Festival, and our 125th Anniversary, just to name a few. The biggest event took place at Christmas time when we adorned the church with a breathtaking display of the Nativity, giant wreaths, gorgeous garland, and literally hundreds of poinsettias in white and red. Once again I witnessed the harmonious synergy of our Altar Society in action, all members working toward that single goal of enhancing the liturgical worship in our historic church. All Altar Society members were welcome to help at all events or even just a few when they were able to help. I never felt tied down or obligated. I helped with the events that I could, and the result was always the same: cooperation, fun, friendship, and gratitude. Father Duane made sure to thank the Altar Society publicly and privately for all the events that we helped put together to enrich the liturgy and community of our church. Joining and volunteering with the Altar Society made me feel productive and gave me a greater sense of community in my church. I now know the name of the guy with the white hair who sits on the right side by the column and the name of the lady with the pretty blonde hair who sits near the front and, bonus, the name of her husband who is a lector. I now know the names of many people in the church, and I am pleased to call them my friends. It is wonderful to really know the people near me in the pews, to really be in communion with them in our Catholic faith. Being involved connects me with my church family which ultimately connects me to Jesus Himself. I hope this encourages others to join a ministry and get involved. I am so glad God opened this new window of opportunity for me.

DEBRA TROMBETTA LEON is a retired middle school English teacher and a parishioner at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.