[Gocamino] [saintjames] Ship of Fools

[Dennis Harrod]

Rosina et al:

Your description of the difficulties of receiving communion in a crowded
church took me back to two years ago when my daughter and I attended mass in
Melide on the Feast of Corpus Christi. It was a beautiful evening in late May
and the plaza had been adorned with illustrations of the feast in flowers and
colored sand or sawdust and awaited the procession that would follow the mass.
The mass was so crowded that we stood crushed against the back wall while
others filled the plaza outside. When it came time for communion, priest and
attendants scattered throughout the crowd rather than have the crowd try to
appoach the altar. A couple of attendants went into the plaza to serve those
outside. Meanwhile, inside, communion had been given to all but still no sign
of the attendants who had gone outside. The priest remained at the lectern (or
the pulpit; I'm not sure what you call it) and waited. And waited. I seem to
remember him drumming his fingers and looking at his watch, but that's
probably a figment of my imagination. After about 10 or 15 minutes, the
attendants returned, haveing served the throng in the plaza. Mass resumed,
ended and the procession began. It was another lovely example of adapting to
circumstances along the Camino.

Dennis

Caminante, son tus huellas el camino y nada mas.

--- blaroli at aol.com wrote:

During the last Holy Year the priests
> dispensing communion were accompanied by attendants who held huge blue and
> white umbrellas to indicate where they were and to make it easier to get to
> them.  (It really didn't work). At Saint Peters in the Vatican on special
> occasions  one may be receiving communion one half an hour after Mass ended!
> The same happens ordinarily in Mega churches such as the Basilica of Our
> Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and the church of Nossa Senhora Aparecida
> in Brasil (even although this church is away from the cities, way up in the
> mountains and difficult to get to).
> In Vienna there is a Royal chapel in the Hofburg where the Vienna Boys Choir
> sing on Sundays. The church is fairly small and, of course, everyone wants
> to go there. The Chapel has several levels and the last time I was there I
> just couldn't make it  down in time to receive communion.  

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