Drug dealers dealt their drugs. Others consumed them. So much happened here in the name of sin, all under the shadow of Saints Peter and Paul Church. I walked right up to the stairs from the lawn and looked at the grand entrance under the inscription “Per L’Universo.” The message: for everyone. Universal, for all. The church welcomed all. Sinners. Just enter the house of the Lord to be saved. A daily offer, yet so few came inside. So be it. As soon as I passed through the door, I felt the silence. The silence of the space—its vaulted ceiling, arches, the wood of the pews. All this absorbed sound, changed the nature of the space. A peace descended on me, one I had not felt since I left St. Boniface on Wednesday. This was the peace that I needed to restore. At this time of day, the pews were mostly empty—a few tourists and a believer or two. Midday mass ended, now the church simply waited. Welcoming. I sat in one of the middle pews, removed my jacket, and laid it gently beside me.
