My Holy experience

All by myself again I arrived in Cordoba, the most Catholic city in Argentina at 7am on Thursday 1st March.  After a luxury coach journey, where I was so comfortable I woke up stroking the man next to me, I felt ready for my next venture.  Despite my enthusiasm I was a little apprehensive, but my first day walking around my city of choice and adapting to my surroundings allowed the anxious Sophie to be no more. 

In the evening of my first day in Cordoba I decided to visit the Cathedral here seen as it is known to be a very religious province.  And yes, you've guessed it, it is as spectacular as the first, but this time the ceilings are the most amazing I have seen so far.  I had a creak in my neck from staring in amazement at them for so long.  And yes you guessed it again I had to sit down and take it all in, not predictable at all am I.  The Cathedral started to fill up so I was sure that a mass would be soon, and to make Nan and Jack proud I decided to stay and experience something I will probably never experience again. 

then the priest arrived and honest to god I thought that he was going to jump on that altar and do a solo

My apologies for the description of my evening at the Church that is to follow, but I was never very good with words and this is a very difficult experience to describe so I will do the best I can. And also it maybe a little disjointed as I have been cutting my sentences into words so that people can understand me just a little bit. So let’s begin.

In any church in South America there is a great sense of community, this combined with the fact that you have to kiss everyone when you say hello and goodbye makes it an important, lengthy and meaningful process.  Now, when you are in the most Catholic City in Argentina, with a Cathedral near the size of a football pitch, full of people that know each other rather well you can imagine the hustle and bustle that occurs before the start of the mass.  Everyone is quite jolly, kissing each other on the cheek and enquiring after their family, maybe even a little bit of harmless gossiping here and there and then there is me, the English girl sitting right at the front where everyone can see that she is a stranger unable to join in the familiarities they all share.  (Please do not get me wrong I am not sad about it).  We are however in a church of God, where we are all loved and with this they definitely wouldn't let me sit there quietly listening to the gospel readings in a language I do not understand.

The enthusiasm and passion that was shown by the congregation I thought would die down once the priest had arrived at the altar.  However, when I saw out the corner of my eye a gathering of all types of people and ten or twelve orange, plastic chairs in the corner with a guitar and a couple of nuns standing by it I knew that I was wrong. 

The women started to strum that guitar like she had never strummed before and then the rest of the choir joined in with what I thought might be a little number to introduce to the service, but all that I can say was that it sounded like 'He's got the whole world in his hands' but in Spanish.  Before I could close my jaw the whole congregation stood up and was waving their hands in the air singing their hearts out, then the priest arrived and honest to god I thought that he was going to jump on that altar and do a solo.  But please don't think that I am mocking this alternative way of conducting the service of God because I am not, but the mere shock of this gospel/catholic/Spanish out look to mass did take me back a bit.  You had to smile to see this crowd of people swaying to 'he's got his brothers and his sisters in his hands', and I did in good will.  But I stood ridged, but there was no way that I was going to get away with just watching, so yes I joined in, well forced really.  Every time the chorus came on, (which is quite a lot in this song) everyone grabs everyone’s hands and swings them in the air, I had a quite passionate grandmother on my left hand side who was so engrossed in the song that my arm nearly came out of its socket.  Nevertheless, after a few more songs I was getting used to it.

Then came the priest's presentation, after the readings.  I knew that this was going to be good, strong and heart warming but nothing could prepare me for the sheer volume (with a microphone I might add) and the emotion and passion that this young priest showed.  I am not sure what he was talking about but he was getting slightly angry, waving his finger and even encouraging the congregation to join in.  And at the end of everything when we had to say Amen, he would make us shout it, each time getting louder and louder.  It was like when you count up to your age on your birthday, shouting the number at the top of your voice when you reach your age.  Priceless.

My emotions coming towards the end of the three hour mass were completely and utterly all over the place, I didn't know what to think.  If I wasn't a Catholic already I would have been converted and I didn't even know what they were saying, Scientology eat your heart out.  At the end of the mass I saw something quite unusual (well to me anyway), (yes more than the gospel singing Catholic congregation) which was the taking of the body of Christ around so that everyone could touch it.  After all the singing and shouting and praising the Lord emotions were running wild, there could have been body of Christ rage.  People were crying and holding up pictures to the priest, some poor old women even collapsed.  Unbelievable.  Just imagine what it is like at Easter weekend. 

In all seriousness and in all its craziness it was an experience that I will never forget.  Such warm people that just wanted me to join in and feel part of the church and after feeling a little unsettled earlier on it certainly set me up for the next day.  When we were walking out of the door of the Church they were giving out pieces of paper with messages on them.  I am going to get Christina to translate it for me, then maybe that will explain a little more about the mass.  I will keep you posted to what it said.