In
Warrior Monk: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel by Ray Keating, Grant serves as pastor at St. Mary's Lutheran Church. You don't hear about too many Lutheran churches with such a name. Consider the following excerpt from the novel:
Grant was posting the new times for all the weekly services and activities at St. Mary’s in the large roadside sign – Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses, Sunday school, adult Bible study, Matins on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and Vespers on Wednesday evenings. He closed and locked the Plexiglas door underneath the large white letters spelling out “St. Mary’s Lutheran Church” against dark wood.
Grant still had not unearthed how this parish got its name. “St. Mary’s” was pretty rare for a Lutheran church, even though that was Martin Luther’s parish in Wittenberg. However, Luther’s parish was named for Mary Magdalene, while Grant’s was for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Stephen thought that modern day Lutherans had no clue what to do with Mary – either Mary, for that matter – so it intrigued him and actually played a tiny part in his taking the call to this church. He appreciated such oddities.
Besides, Bing Crosby in The Bells of St. Mary’s was a longtime favorite, along with an appreciation for Ingrid Bergman as a rather fetching nun. Grant tried not to think too deeply about a Lutheran pastor having the hots for a Catholic nun.
Then again, Martin Luther married a nun, so what the heck.
