Carrying our Cross to Calvary and the Tomb for Mass and much more

by Steve Ray on September 6, 2014

We started at 5:30 AM today to walk the Stations of the Cross before Jerusalem wakes up and the streets are jammed. We also have Mass at the Tomb at 7:30 so this give us time to walk to Calvary, tour the Holy Sepulchre and be seated for the High Mass with the Franciscans at the Tomb of Christ. 

But after breakfast we also visit Pater Noster where Our Lord taught his disciples to pray the Our Father and from where he ascended. We also had pilgrims pray the Our Father in Vietnamese, Spanish, Philippine Tagalog, Latin and Arabic. Very moving. 

Then to Peter in Gallicantu where Peter denied Jesus and where Jesus was lowered into the cistern prison over Holy Thursday night. We went into the cistern and read Psalm 88 and prayed. The pilgrims then had lunch at the Notre Dame and scattered for a free afternoon. Some went back to the Holy Sepulchre to pray, others to the Western Wall to see the Jews in their finery on the Sabbath. Others went back to pray the Stations of the Cross again while others took a nap 🙂

At 5:00 PM we all regather for the tour and explanation of the excellent Holy Shroud Exhibit here in the Notre Dame, dinner, a free evening and to bed for another fun and busy and spiritual day tomorrow.