Out and About: St. Andrews Catholic Church-San Andreas

Getting acquainted with a new area can be very exciting. Actively searching for new experiences and sites is a part of this process. There is a degree of patience required, however, which causes you to slow down and simply accept new places, events, and people as they come to you; things cannot always be "scheduled." My discovery of St. Andrews Catholic church is a serendipitous example of what I mean.

The above shot was taken as I walked around the grounds of the church which is located in a neighborhood on Church St., San Andreas. I went there because a couple months back, I painted another work of the St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Mokelumne Hill. That church is the sister church to St. Andrews. This particular view is one of two outdoor sanctuaries that the church offers. I don't know though which saint that is a statue of as it isn't marked.

This second shot (above) is the other outdoor sanctuary. I would guess that the statue is of Mary. As I looked at both areas, but in particular the second area, I wondered if such a location could provide relief from whatever it was that you were praying for? Could there be comfort and hope derived from sitting down to pray in such a lovely area? I also wondered if the two views, the one of the church itself and the one of the graveyard beyond, were intentional? I would imagine that both places would provide solace to those who believed.

These last two views are of the cemetery. It might seem odd to visit a place where your relatives were not buried and I admit that I went there for "artistic" reasons to begin with. From the road, the sides of the graves are visible so all that you see are these gleaming white shapes against the green hillside. I thought it was an interesting arrangement of light, shadow, shape, and color. I decided to take a look at the top of the cemetery to see what else was there.

To begin with, the cemetery is perched on a hill. San Andreas is rather a hilly place (this is the foothills after all) and so it is no surprise that this site is up high. All of the graves are pointed in one direction and I wondered if that was intentional. I was surprised to see many graves that were established in the 1800's and early 1900's. I later learned that the first church in town was established in 1852. It occurred to me that a sanctified graveyard would be extremely important for a town of religious people; just as important as a general store, a post office, or even a saloon or gathering hall. As I walked around, I noticed some familiar names that I am starting to learn. They are the names of old San Andreas families, a reminder that people have come here and put down roots; they have established themselves in a way that I think doesn't happen that often today. The road up the hill to the cemetery winds around the grave sites and soon you are back where you started. The view is lovely, looking out over the town and the mountains. It is quiet and peaceful. If you have to be somewhere forever, this doesn't look like such a bad spot.

As I walked back down the hill I thought about all the people that came here willingly (and some not willingly) to start new lives with family and friends. I was told when I first moved here that people were very proud of the fact that their families had been here for generations, some maybe never even having left the county. I tried to put this in perspective with what I believe are the benefits of forming a larger frame of reference through travel and other life experiences. I think I missed the significance though (and made a false assumption) of forming a connection and identity by remaining in one place. It is just important I think to do this as it is to see the world in a larger context. There is no reason why both things cannot occur at once, to the same person.

As always, if there are comments or bits of historical significance that I missed, let me know.

Libby