Stood Up at the Church

This weekend has been seriously gorgeous-- perfect for long walks (check), football (check), and, of course, meeting with the priest that you hope will "celebrate" (Catholic speak for "perform") your ceremony.

B and I booked a date with our priest-to-be for a lunch outing this afternoon. We got reservations at a great Southern cafe, got slightly more dolled up for church than usual (showers don't always happen, even for the 11:30 service), and reallllly tried to listen to everything in Mass, should it be referenced at some point over our interview, er, lunch.

The priest told us to meet him after Mass in the narthex (foyer) and that it might take him a few minutes, as he'd need to remove his vestments (ceremonial robes). So B and I hustled downstairs after Mass and waited for a few minutes. If you've ever been to a Catholic service, you know they empty pretty quickly, especially the later services, so by 12:40, we were all alone.

We watched parents and grandparents begin to arrive for the 1pm baptismal celebration. No priest. B checked the..., well, whatever it was called, it was basically the priests' lounge. No priest. We hiked to the church offices. No priest. B called both numbers we had. No priest.

At this point, we just looked at each other and laughed. Seriously? This would be priest number four we've had trouble nailing down. Anyone watch Sex and the City? The one where Charlotte tries to become a Jew and the church keeps shooting her down until a wise old woman fills her in that she must keep pursuing the church and prove she wants is? Hi. I'm Charlotte.

B and I took ourselves out to a fabulous lunch at the cafe, "Hi. It'll be two, not three." Then moved on about our day, which basically included shopping, football, and B's dinner interview.

I have to say, I don't think I've ever been stood up before. By interviewees, yes, but not dates or otherwise. I think it would've stung, but because we were together, it was just comical, and one more speed bump en route to our wedding ceremony. If we were superstitious, perhaps we'd take this as a sign, but for now we're just taking it as a reminder to call and confirm our appointments with all vendors, be them men of flowers or men of the cloth.