Story by Emily Adelman
Across our ACC, conversations in recent months have circled around a single theme: change. Some of it expected, some of it overwhelming and all of it tinged with emotions we are each learning to navigate.
For parishioners, especially those connected to Mary of the Visitation – Big Lake Church, the announcement of its closing in July 2026 has brought with it a particular kind of grief — personal, communal and deeply spiritual.
Change always carries grief with it. Grief for what we hoped might be. Grief for what is ending. Grief for the stories and moments that feel like they might slip away if we do nothing to hold onto them. And like all forms of grief, it shows up differently for every person who loved this building.
In prayer and reflection, I found myself wrestling with the same question many others were asking: “How do we support one another through this?” I wanted so badly to take away the heaviness people were feeling, to offer comfort that would make it all easier to bear. But one truth kept returning:
I can’t take grief away from anyone.
None of us can.
Grief is part of our humanity — part of life on this side of heaven. But while we cannot remove someone’s grief, we can offer something else: a light to hold onto in the midst of it. That is where the idea for “Faith Handed Down” was born.
Faith Handed Down began as a simple hope: to create something tangible, physical and lasting that people could hold onto as our community moves through this transition. Something that would honor the generations of faith lived within Big Lake Church and make space for healing as we prepare to say goodbye to a place that shaped so many lives.
This project invites anyone whose story intersects with the Big Lake Church building to share their memories. That includes lifelong parishioners and those who attended for only a short time, elders who helped build the foundation and young families just beginning to make memories, former parishioners who moved away and visitors who found welcome here even once. What matters is not the length of time spent here, but the imprint the building left on your heart.
Through written stories, recorded interviews, photographs and personal testimonies, Faith Handed Down is becoming a living archive of the people who made this building their spiritual home. It is a way of witnessing to the truth that while a building may close, the faith formed within it continues — carried in the lives of those who lived it.
Stories are holy things. They reveal who we are, what we value and how God has moved in our lives. Within the walls of Big Lake Church, countless stories have unfolded: baptisms, weddings, funerals, first Communions, choir rehearsals, whispered prayers, shared grief, shared joy. These are the moments that knit a community together.
Without intentional effort, stories can fade. Memories get tucked away and small but meaningful details disappear with time. Faith Handed Down is an effort to honor and preserve those details — to hold up the ordinary sacredness that shaped our community.
Each submitted story becomes another thread in a tapestry, revealing the beauty of this building which meant something different to each person and yet bound all of us together.
Collecting stories is not only about preservation; it is also about healing. Change often feels like loss, and loss can feel like an unraveling. But when we pause to remember — to truly remember — we find that the threads are still there. The connections endure. The love remains.
As we move toward All Things New deadlines and plans, emotions will continue to rise and fall. There will be days of sorrow, days of gratitude and days when both sit side by side. But through it all, we have the opportunity to remember that this parish was never just a building, it was a living body of believers, a community shaped by stories of faith handed down from generation to generation. That legacy does not end with a locked door.
It lives on in the people who carry those stories into the next chapter — into their families, into their prayer, into their service and into the wider Church. And at Mary of the Visitation, while the closing of our building brings real sorrow, we also hold a quiet gratitude that our parish family itself remains together.
Faith Handed Down:
What worked for us and how your parish can adapt it
• Bulletin invitations
a simple weekly reminder that stories are welcome anytime.
• Memory stations
place memory cards and collection boxes in each church foyer.
• Mail and email options
offer envelopes, mailing addresses and an email for written submissions.
• Children’s liturgy involvement
invite children to draw or write memories.
• Homebound outreach
ask Communion ministers to gently gather stories.
• Digital voice memos
use iPads or phones at parish events for quick audio recordings.
• Invite former clergy and staff to send their stories.
• Partner with local media
widen the circle to the whole community.
• Support non‑tech users
use phone calls, mail, and personal invitations.
• Share these stories in a variety of ways
include open sharing, photo boards, social media posts.
• Consider grief support
host a counselor to help parishioners process closure and change.
• Offer adoration and prayer
root the process in Christ’s presence.