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the whole circus atmosphere of the procedure turns me right off. In the future, I shall be reminding myself of the decrepit appearance, in the above photo, of the pulley which controls it.
Does anybody know how old the mechanism is?And check out at the mechanism that allows that swinging:
It's both touching and fascinating, the beautiful and carefully done decoration on what is basically just a fancy pulley.
Me, tooWow! Great to see. I look forward to the day that I will be back in SdC to see it again.
Answer is here:Does anybody know how old the mechanism is?
the ... circus atmosphere of the procedure ...
@AlwynWellingtonI am not disagreeing with you at all, as I also dislike circuses in church.
If I may tell you of two experiences some seven years apart.
My first pilgrimage from Sarria (June/July 2010) saw me in the bookstore about the time the Eucharist was ending. And from there, even with my dodgy hearing, I could hear a solo voice. On enquiry I was told it was the Ode to Saint James and I purchased a copy. I stayed there for three nights and went to Eucharist sufficient times to encounter the signing nuns. They taught us the responses before Mass and on one more occasion sang the Ode as the outsized censer was sung. How much further could one be from a circus.
Fast Forward to late 2017: I have completed the odyssey from Le Puy I had started more than 18 months before and was, like you, disappointed the liturgical aspects were not then present. So I went to Fisterra and saw dragons breath well above the western horizon beyond lands end at sunset (I thought they were dragons but I suspect the more prosaic amongst those present may have thought terribly noisy planes).
I returned to Compostela on 31 October and the next day was inside the Cathedral well before 11 am: I wanted the best seat in the house - front row against the barrier on the right. As soon as that 10 h mass finished I was in position. And pomp and circumstance there was for All Saints Day starting with a procession of Saint James (four bearers), others, the Archbishop and a very complete lay choir in the north transept. And, of course, the censing of all those present as the choir sang the Ode. All things being "done decently and in good order" on that occasion, in my view.
...
PS: I arrived in London in mid June 2010 and the next day was off to a battlefield that our two countries fought for, Passendale, with your countrymen succeeding where mine fought with only great loss to show. After nearly a fortnight of that and other similar places, accidentally starting a brief pilgrimage was a grand antidote.
PPS: In one of my Wellington (Anglican) parish churches we celebrated Easter, Pentecost, S Michael (patron saint) and Christmas by including incense in the customary way. Whenever I was thurifer, I went into the gathered community about 10 minutes before starting and selected a youngster to be boat-bearer: never had a refusal. We also had the two adult readers act as torch bearers for the Gospel procession: this simple activity helping to emphasise the relative importance of the Gospel. Again, in my view, all being done decently and in good order.
@Albertagirl, I hope this helps with a context.
Kia kaha (take care, be strong) and get going when you can.
The Church name is spelled several ways: in castellano, San Benito do Campo), also Sao Bento (portuguese). I mistakenly used an English version of the name of St Benedict, just to confuse matters. I have found the church name, and photos online: Galego name: Igrexa de San Bieito do Campo in the Praza de Cervantes. The restaurant is Casa Manolo, good inexpensive food. This church is very near the Cathedral. I usually get there by going out the front door of San Martin Pinario and going left. You may want to visit it, and eat in the restaurant, on your next visit to Santiago. And may it be soon for all of us.@Albertagirl, I think we are on the same page but maybe you are in the middle and I am in a somewhere close by. Having experienced the Samoan approach to the Gospel procession while the Cardinal Archbishop celebrant (himself steeped in simplicity) had to wait several minutes for it to finish, I have learnt to take whatever I can from whatever liturgy is on offer.
From your description, I think I would like S Benet's, in particular the community worshipping and then "breaking bread" together.
From Wikipedia, Galego is an Indo-European language through the Italic and Romance stream and now found in west Iberia (Portugal and Galicia) and official in the latter. So yes, with a Latin background, just look at all the words used on notices etc in that area.
I've looked for S Banet's, in case I am in that area in the future, and cannot find it. Can you please give directions?
Kia kaha