The Cathedral was full of people. People in the pews, people standing under the arches, people painted on the walls, sculptures of people hanging in the rafters and holding up the golden artwork. Hundreds of statues depicting saints and cupids climbed up and down the two gigantic pipe organs high up on the walls.
“Catholics have the best churches” breathed Aidan quietly.
The mass began and we sat. A nun sang and led us in worship. Only Anne Domínguez understood the Spanish so the rest of us worshipped in our own ways. I bowed my head and prayed, others did similarly, some sang, others observed patiently. I tried to spy the person playing the organ but couldn’t find them from my vantage point in the back rows of the sanctuary. I’m still not sure if the music was recorded or not.
The priest would say something and then everyone would chant back in unison. The only words I could catch were, “Y con su espíritu.” – “and with your spirit.” The priest would often raise both of his arms when he spoke and there were several other priests standing around at the altar wearing red robes and nodding agreeably.
As the service continued I thought to myself that if Jesus were to come to church we might have to teach Him how to do it. He would have to learn about ushers, confessional booths, tithe baskets, hail mary prayers, etc.
As our way of worshipping God has evolved some very unusual things have been developed. We all were very excited when they swung a giant incensor across the room and any oddity was basically lost in the wonderful slapstick of the thing. People kept sneaking up behind the statue of James and hugging him mid-service. The priest carried the cup of communion wafers down the isle and myself and others lined up to receive it.
As the paintings and sculptures showed, people enjoy being a part of things. The cathedral in this case was a building dedicated to God full of people and depictions of people. People come from far and wide to see it; and most people seem to get a kick out of it. Maybe it isn’t narcissism though, maybe people just love celebrating their role and connection to their faith. If you’re given a gift why not be proud that it’s yours?
The gang and I left the cathedral quietly. The service had been pleasant and we decided to go and celebrate our completion of El Camino and each other with some gelato. A new tradition of celebration beginning.