CHARLOTTE — Over the course of two years, author Daniel Markham travelled to churches in all 50 states in a quest to experience the richness of the Catholic faith and Eucharistic devotion. Traversing the country and writing down his experiences at each church, his travels eventually led him to St. Ann Parish.
Markham chose one parish in each location, where he attended Mass and met clergy and fellow Catholics. He then documented his adventures, observations and a bit about the history of the churches and communities he visited. The result is his book “52 Masses: A Journey to Experience Catholicism Across America.”
“I got the idea to do this in 2016, but I wanted to wait until my youngest son was finishing up high school so I didn’t miss any special occasions,” Markham said.
In 2018, with the blessing of his bishop, he mailed out letters to dioceses across the country. Over the next six months he heard back from dioceses, confirming approval to visit a parish of his choosing. Markham then reached out to pastors in those dioceses.
But in 2020, the pandemic hit and complicated his travels. “Originally I was going to go 52 weeks straight, visiting a church every week, but COVID-19 hit. I went where I could when I was able to travel, depending on what churches were open,” he said.
Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Parish in Charlotte, was one of the pastors who responded to Markham’s inquiry. Markham was intrigued by the history of the parish, its transformation from what Father Reid and others agreed was “the ugliest church in Charlotte,” and the community’s commitment to preserving the tradition of the Church in its liturgies and its service to the poor.
Markham attended the Vigil Mass at St. Ann on Divine Mercy Sunday weekend in 2022. “What I really liked was that all of the artwork and the architecture is so perfectly consistent with the faith community that you have at St. Ann. The traditional elements are incorporated into all of the liturgies. To have the building reflect that so well – it just works so nicely for the parish community,” Markham said.
He describes his book as an invitation to accompany him as he embarks on a journey to visit a wide array of Catholic places: chapels, cathedrals, basilicas and makeshift churches.
But Markham cautions against placing too much emphasis on church buildings. While the Church is visibly embodied in these houses of worship, “52 Masses” reminds people that church extends beyond brick and mortar, beyond altar and sacristy. The Church is found, ultimately, in each of us as members of the Body of Christ.
“If someone else decided to do this, they could go to 52 different parishes and be equally blessed along the way,” he said. “Every parish has a story and something it can tell and share. I was blessed to be pointed in the right direction along the way.”
— SueAnn Howell
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“52 Masses: A Journey to Experience Catholicism Across America” is available at www.amazon.com. Questions? Contact Daniel Markham at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..