He was not a Christian. He did not believe. However, just for a place to think, he started going to the Basilica. The Mass there was poorly attended, it being a weekday. However, it would have been the same on Sunday: nobody welcomed his arrival and no one seems to notice when he left. Nevertheless, somehow it was easier to be alone there than anywhere else.

It was the being left alone that first caught his attention. In the evangelical congregations of his youth, this would never have happened and would have been taken to be rude, unfriendly and unChristian.

At the Basilica, they didn’t try to replace his family, or his friends. None of the ‘how are you, brother’ or ‘hello, sister’ that he remembered from childhood. From where he was, sitting in back of the large sanctuary, there was no ‘church family’ at all. Which was fine with him, just going there to relax and not believing any of the nonsense which the Catholics seemed caught up into as they went up for the Eucharist.

Still, just being there seemed to help.