On the Lord's Day

Today, Sunday, was a very light day compared to most of our days.  We had the morning free and could attend any of the three Masses at the Cathedral.  I went to the 9:30 Mass which is bilingual (English and Arabic). The hymns are sung simultaneously in both languages. Thank heavens the dean announced the numbers because I could not read those posted on the hymn board.  It turned out that they referred to the Arabic hymnal and not the English Hymnal we, who spoke English, were using. The bishop was the celebrant assisted by four priests. The dean of the cathedral was preacher who first spoke in Arabic and then in English. At times it seemed as if we were speaking in tongues. It was a great experience. The organist was quite superb. The Widor toccata as the postlude was uplifting. 

Several of us went to the coffee hour and met a group from Missouri who were staying at the Pilgrim Guest House, also on the Cathedral Close. One of the ladies was originally from Alexandria, Minnesota, and knew Sioux Falls fairly well. You’ve heard the saying “it’s a small world.” It does apply. Our chaplain is recently retired from a parish in the Diocese of Massachusetts. His dean there was Fr. Tony Buquor who is from South Dakota and was Canon to the Ordinary for a period of time. Fr. Tony as a seminarian worked under the dean of St. George’s College in the Diocese of Illinois.

The Descent from the Cross.
A portion of the mosaic behind
the Stone of Anointing
where tradition says the Lord's
body was prepared for burial.

Following lunch we began our revised schedule. The four Canadian bishops and their archbishop have to leave following breakfast tomorrow so some of our activities were shifted to this afternoon so they could participate. We walked the Way of the Cross on the actual Via Dolorosa. We took turns carrying a sizable wooden cross and read the passages from scripture and the litanies at the close of each station in turn. It is a moving experience to actually do the stations at the actual stations.  I will never participate in Stations of the Cross again without visualizing  those places.

Our Way of the Cross ended appropriately at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The 

The Anointing from the same mosaic.

Canadian contingent had not been there previously. Those of us who had treasured a little more time in that place.  The queue for the Tomb was very long so it was not possible to enter there.  I reverenced the Egyptian Coptic site of the resurrection and visited some of the chapels I missed the first time we visited. 

The burial of the Lord from the same mosaic.

We walked back to the College in pouring rain. It had rained sporadically during the Stations, but now the heavens really opened. All of those stones in the passageway of the old city and even the sidewalks in the rest of the city get pretty slick when wet.

We had a lecture covering an introduction to Judaism following our return. The speaker is a lecturer and researcher at Hebrew University. She was most delightful and shared some valuable insights into the Jewish faith.

Then it was time for our graduation ceremony. Our certificates were presented by the dean of the college. This was preceded by remarks by the staff and suggestions for packing up and leaving the college. Then came the entertainment. We were informed at the beginning that participants were expected to provide entertainment at this solemn ceremony. The “Teaks,” my “family” group presented a variation on the Jets’ song from West Side Story.  The Canadians had a parody on a song we learned on the bus yesterday with some added verses applying principally to the Maritime Provinces. The Hawaiians regaled us with a sing-a-long using our teacher Rodney’s fine aria with which he redeemed himself for being last on the bus one day. The lyrics are moving: “Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. MacDonalds, MacDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut.”  Admittedly it looses something without the choreography.  Ask me sometime and I will demonstrate so you can experience the full effect.  It is quite “moving!”   They also sang one of the traditional Hawaiian songs.

We adjourned to the Deanery for a reception and then to dinner where Chef Joseph had prepared his speciality, lamb shanks. Delicious. 

Photography during the Stations of the Cross was not appropriate. I’ll post a few photos from the Holy Sepulcher. It was a Sunday to be remembered.

The complete mosaic and the galleries above
with just a bit of the main dome of the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher.