Bells and Organs

Day #28
Yesterday morning we walked through golf ball sized snowflakes to mass at St. Peter's Cathedral. It was quite the surreal feeling. Two rows of pews several feet apart were filled with the regular attenders. The were deep mahogany and very intricate. Between them were hard, plainer benches for those of us just visiting. Between those two rows was a wide aisle. We arrived early, so we were able to absorb our atmosphere. The huge archways and vast openness of the area of the floor and the lack of heating in the building made for a very cold hour and a half.
The organ pipe, hanging magnificently on the side of the building. The bells began to ring, and then the organ swelled to support them. It was almost unreal. The boys choir took their places. The priests came out and, as they bowed to the Bible on the alter and then to the crucifix, I felt a shiver go through my heart. They bowed to objects, sacred objects, but objects none-the-less.
The boys choir was very good. The dome-ish structure of the cathedral lifted their voices and distributed them among all present.
I wish I could understand what the priest was saying, but someone told me that it seems even more ritualistic when you can understand it, so maybe it's good that I couldn't.
The humorous part of the experience was that the priests and at least one nun found the need to blow their nose indiscreetly. It broke the atmosphere of reverence. One priest cleared his sinuses before giving Communion.
Kelley took Heather and I downtown to a coffee shop. It came at just the right time because we were all still exhausted. We walked around a little before we had our espresso.



Day #29
Class began today. We had a light day and were finished by lunch. We went to the mall and walked around there. Heather took pictures of the huge fruit stand inside and the delicious looking bakery.