Mass in the Pink Church

A couple months ago, my husband Ben and I traveled to Croatia and Slovenia. Why this location, you may ask? Well, we were craving adventure. With thirteen other countries already crossed off our bucket list, we were ready to venture further to Eastern Europe.

I only have 500 words I can work with, so if you want to hear more about mountain coasters, Croatian wine, or medieval cave castles, let me know. For now, I’ll share about our experience at Mass in the pink church in Ljubljana (Loo-BLEE-ah-nah), the capital of Slovenia.

On our city walking tour earlier in the day, we learned that this pink Barbie castle was called the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation. A Franciscan Monastery stands nearby, housing over 70,000 books. The monastery dates back to the 13th century– talk about old! It’s not common to see a vibrant pink church in Europe, and we learned that the church was originally painted red, the color of the Franciscans. Over the years, the red paint faded to a weird salmon-pink hue, and the city assumed that was intentional. And so it continued to be repainted pink, and it will famously stay that way! 

When we travel, I love going to Mass. As the Worship Director at Saint Patrick Parish, I spend a lot of time thinking about how we celebrate Mass and help people enter into prayer. Attending Mass in another country gives me a chance to experience the liturgy from a different perspective– as a member of the congregation rather than the one helping lead it. 

We walked into the pink church ten minutes before Mass and sat in a middle pew. A few tourists meandered the side altars, but most people scattered about the pews chanting some type of call and response. I think it was the Chaplet of Divine Mercy but… my Slovenian is a little rusty. The lights were dim and the atmosphere was quite prayerful. The prayer wrapped up, and I had time to slowly take in the beauty of the church.

All of a sudden… the bells rang, the lights blared on, everyone quickly stood up, and the singing began. The priest was already at the front, so there wasn’t a procession. That’s one way to get Mass started! The Mass itself was simple yet beautiful, even when the only words I caught were “Maria,” “Alleluia,” “Hosanna,” and “Amen.” The liturgy was led by the priest, a few Franciscan brothers, a male cantor and two male altar servers. The congregation was small, but they sang loudly. I could tell these were not tourists– this was the community.

The word ‘catholic’ translates to ‘universal,’ and that is our Church! Having come into the church just four years ago, I think I am especially aware of this gift. It is incredible to be a part of a community of believers that spans the world and worships the same God. So next time you go on a trip, I encourage you to attend Mass somewhere new. You might be surprised at how much it feels like home.