The Basilica Down the Road From the Field of Dreams
Just miles from the iconic field is a historic edifice.
Did you watch the Field of Dreams Game?
The Chicago White Sox prevailed, 9-8, with a two-run walk-off homerun — eight homeruns were sent over the fence into the corn over the course of the game — against the New York Yankees on Thursday night in the Hawkeye State.
The MLB field was adjacent to the movie set for Field of Dreams.
Watching America’s pastime for the first time among the cornfields of Dyersville, Iowa, was indeed a memorable experience.
But did you catch the town images highlighted during the game? Shown, rising above the small town, was the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, a beautiful church that the Register has preciously featured in travel stories.
Just miles from the iconic field is the historic edifice.
Dedicated in 1889, it was named a minor basilica in 1956 by Pope Pius XII and “is one of the best examples of Gothic architecture in that part of the nation.”
As one Register article detailed, “ ... what a beautiful place this is to be near to, and receive, Our Lord in his Eucharistic presence.”
The lovely church in the heart of small-town America brings to mind the lessons that can be gleaned from faith and baseball:
“Baseball … remind[s] us of what life should be: a pilgrimage according to a prescribed order that requires a host of virtues, including faith, courage, loyalty, discipline, hard work and a commitment to fair play.”
Amy Smith Amy Smith is a Register senior editor who edits features for the “Culture of Life” section. Fueled by prayer and coffee, she enjoys writing about everything from Jane Austen to saints for the Register. She is the author of The Plans God Has for You: Hopeful Lessons for Young Women (Emmaus Road Publishing, 2020). Her writing has also appeared in various other Catholic publications. She has a master’s degree in journalism and a B.A. in English. Find her online at Instagram.com/hopefulwordsmith and Twitter.com/hope_wordsmith.
