The angel spoke to me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God . . . . There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. (Rev 21:9b-14)

Today is the feast of Saint Bartholomew with the reference to the "beautiful city"--the Heavenly Jerusalem. I remember the Dedication of the New Altar and the Renovated Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima in Winston-Salem, NC, now almost 40 years ago. For the Dedication Mass with the Bishop, I requested that our cantor, Joanne Munden, sing the spiritual, Oh What a Beautiful City! The version today is from the great singer, Paul Robeson.