Published June 24, 2020

Author's Note: I am a lifelong practicing Catholic from the Archdiocese of Boston, so this is largely informed by my own experience and knowledge.

This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend Rapunzella, who pointed out to me the likelihood that Ivy and Zack may be Catholics of Irish descent. Thank you for giving me this idea. I hope you like the result!

"The Boston Saints"

Carmen would not have taken the boisterous, wisecracking Boston siblings for churchgoers. If she had ever seen them in a church, especially any of the historic cathedrals she visited in her travels, she would have pegged them as casual tourists, not worshipers.

"It's just something our family always did," Ivy explained the first time it came up. It was the first weekend since she and Zack joined Carmen, and she wanted to make sure they attended Mass each week, despite their busy schedule. "It's part of our Southie culture."

"Some families don't bother going to church every week," Zack admitted, "but they show up for Christmas and Easter, and send their kids to Catholic schools or Sunday school, and do all the big milestones in church."

"So, did you guys go to Catholic schools?" Carmen asked curiously.

Zack shook his head. "Our folks would've liked that. Just couldn't afford them."

"But I think we turned out okay," Ivy said with a wink.

When Player overheard that going to Sunday Mass was a priority, he pitched in to help. "There's an app you can use to find the times and locations of Masses in your area."

"Oh, awesome! Can you find out where they have good food after?" Zack asked.

"Mm … it's not on the app, but you can probably find out on the local churches' websites."

Going to church ended up being an additional adventure in whatever country the group happened to be visiting on a weekend. Sometimes they were able to partake in coffee and donuts, or even an entire meal, following a morning or midday Mass.

It was an interesting cultural experience for Carmen, on the occasions when she tagged along. She had learned pieces of different faith traditions from her many nannies growing up, but she had never learned much of any particular system of theology or morality. She only knew a bit about Catholicism from researching the culture of her birth country. She was not sure what she believed about God, if such a being actually existed; but she liked observing the churches' art, architecture, and local traditions.

Even if the service was in a different language, Ivy and Zack seemed to know what to do—when to stand, when to sit, when to kneel, when to greet people around them, and even when certain prayers were supposed to be recited. Apparently Roman Catholic liturgies had a universal structure, and they were used to the routine of them, enough that they were able to follow along. They experienced some confusion when they accidentally went to a church of a different rite.

In large cities with diverse demographics, some churches had services and activities for particular ethnic communities. Carmen was pleased when they found Spanish Masses.

One time, they went to a morning Mass where several families in attendance had dressed their babies in fancy white gowns.

"Looks like we crashed a baptism," Zack observed.

"Aw, look at the little babies!" Ivy cooed.

Carmen had to agree that they were very sweet. She had not actually seen any children until she left V.I.L.E. Island. She appreciated seeing them now, even though the sight of happy families made her heart ache a little bit.

Zack turned to Carmen and asked, "Were you baptized as a kid?"

The question gave her pause. "I don't know. I guess it's possible. Argentina has a large Catholic population."

"If you were, I bet you could look up the certificate," Ivy said. "Player could help with that."

But Carmen shook her head. "First I would need a family name, or a neighborhood. All I know is I was found near Buenos Aires." But the idea stayed with her. Someday, perhaps, if she did not have more pressing missions to focus on, she could try searching for her family through the faith communities of Buenos Aires.

In churches with a lot of artwork, the two siblings introduced Carmen to all the saints depicted in paintings, statuary, and stained glass windows.

"That one's Saint Patrick," Zack said, pointing out a bishop in green vestments holding a sprig of clover. "He's a pretty big deal in Boston."

"A lot of Irish immigrants moved there in the eighteen-hundreds," Ivy explained, "including some of our ancestors."

"Meanwhile, the Italians up in the North End get excited about Saint Anthony," Zack said, pointing to a statue of a friar holding a small child. "They have festivals and processions like the ones in Italy."

Ivy pointed to another statue. "That one's Saint Christopher, patron of travelers."

That honorific made Carmen laugh a little. "Good to know. I don't suppose there's a patron saint of thieves." She meant it as a joke, but Ivy became thoughtful, as though trying to remember something. "Is there?"

"Actually, I think that's Saint Nicholas—you know, the original Santa Claus. He used to give to poor people in secret, kind of like what we do."

"He also punched a guy at a church council," Zack piped up.

"Wow," Carmen said appreciatively. "Santa had spunk."

All three of them laughed at that.

They came up to a reproduced painting of a woman in a blue robe. "And this is—"

"Our Lady of Guadalupe," Carmen realized. "One of my nannies told me about her when I was a kid. The image that appeared on Juan Diego's tilma had symbols from both European and indigenous American culture, so both groups could recognize her importance. She's become a symbol of Latin American heritage and social justice."

Ivy and Zack fell silent, surprised that Carmen already knew about this piece of Catholic culture. They had not actually known the full story behind it.

As they left the church, Zack elbowed his sister. "Hey, we should show Carm The Boondock Saints."

"Who are they?" Carmen asked.

"It's a movie," Ivy informed her.

Zack's voice rose in excitement as he explained, "It's about some Irish guys in Boston who become vigilantes and kill all the local mobsters."

"Better not tell Player, though," Ivy said in a more subdued voice. "It's wicked violent. He's too young for that."

When they got around to watching the movie, Carmen understood easily how Ivy and Zack related to the two protagonists, who were brothers. It was, indeed, a violent film, which gave her mixed emotions while watching it. But she was moved by the family reunion, and the fact that it was caused by a shared prayer made it seem like a spiritual experience.

"It really challenges your assumptions about 'good guys' and 'bad guys,'" Ivy commented as the credits rolled.

Carmen nodded in agreement. Such simplistic terms had not been part of her vocabulary growing up, but she now understood what they meant. "Sometimes it's hard to classify people as one or the other."

Zack glanced sideways at her. "But we're the good guys … right?"

"Absolutely," Carmen said firmly. "We have a code. No killing, and no hurting anyone. Just making sure the bad guys don't get what isn't theirs."