John Innamorato and Joe Innamorato of Hair Perfection.
A few weeks ago, I found out my barber was closing his business and retiring. Brothers Joe and John Innamorato, who were born in Carife, a town in Southern Italy, had opened their shop in January of 1980. This classic barbershop was located on a busy avenue in the Rhawnhurst section of Northeast Philadelphia. John was a graduate of Father Judge High School and has cut the hair of many Oblate priests, brothers and seminarians for over forty years. When he was in high school, he would go to the faculty residences of North Catholic and Father Judge and cut the Oblates’ hair right on the premises. The walls of the shop were decorated with personal items and souvenirs collected over the years. Other memorabilia included statues, pictures of saints and memorial cards of Oblates who had died.
What I liked about John and Joe was that they gave every customer what he needed. It wasn’t just about giving someone a trim or a shave, but the experience in their shop gave everyone a few minutes of peace. Some customers wanted to talk the whole time they were in the chair and others wanted to rest and catch some quiet. Some looked around at the pictures and postcards and others closed their eyes. The barbershop provided a place of balance and rest from the busy pace of our world.
The brothers closed their shop just a few weeks after they celebrated their 43rd anniversary as a business. It was right before we began the Lenten season and entered the spiritual desert where we encounter God. In many ways the barbershop experience is like time in the Lenten desert. A visit to the barber can be an opportunity for rest and reflection, a place for quiet and community. Like Lent, a trip to the barbershop is a chance to look into the mirror and work on ourselves. We see ourselves and ask, “what do I need to change, where do I need improvement?” Our haircut reminds us that some things need to be taken away for us to be refreshed and renewed. In some ways, our time at the barbershop is like a mini retreat.
This Lent, we travel through the desert and meet the woman at the well, the man born blind and the family from Bethany. We go from place to place until we find the promise and hope of the Resurrection. This is our goal, our inspiration and our point of perfection. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Francis de Sales)
The barbershop I have been writing about and visiting for 17 years was called “Hair Perfection.” The name of the barbershop reminds me of a past reflection I wrote on perfection. We are always on the road to perfection, always working to be our best selves. I hope that during our journey through the desert of Lent (and life), God will continue to lead us to perfection one step at a time.
