Holy Thursday

On Holy Thursday I again attended mass at the parish of El Hospicio. There was a reenactment of the Lord's Last Supper. As is traditional in many Catholic churches a priest of the parish washes the feet of 12 parishioners. Here it was 12 men and they played roles of the 12 apostles. The mass order was changed a little to accommodate the Gospel story. The hand shake of peace was earlier, and acting was put on hold to say the Eucharistic prayer. After communion, we returned to the story of Gethsemane, there was a processional around the church and all were invited to remain in prayer until midnight.

Some remained and others headed from the traditional visiting of other churches. I have heard it is traditional to visit 7 or 12 churches (or however many you would like). One must walk from church to church, which may sound difficult, but being in a city in a predominantly Catholic country, it is easier to do walking then driving, especially since all the roads are closed down in the center. My first year I could only find 6 churches, so I returned to the first and prayed longer, which was great because at that time of the night it was darker and quieter. Last year I went to the mass at San Carlos, which is a long walk to the other churches, and as I lived in the outskirts of the city, I didn't want to return home too late, so I only prayed at San Carlos.

This year I started out with 5 people then we added 3, but shortly after, by my fifth church we were down to three people. When Johnny finished his 7 he was ready to return home. Vania and I were on number 9, so we retraced a few steps, and continued on the journey. The last two churches I had seen but had never been in, the last was in the market place not far from San Carlos, and there were far less pilgrims in the street at that location and hour. I like that my final destination was quiet and reflective and we sat a while before heading out. Final photo 11:07 PM, mass started at 6, close to 8 we had started our pilgrimage.



I did take photos at each church, but I will just post these two.