Our Pilgrimage in Lima

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We were quite aware that our trip to Lima coincided with Palm Sunday. In Lima, it is known as Domingo de Ramos, and it is the glorious start to Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Lima.

We didn’t know how much this would impact our experience in Lima. It’s kind of a big deal.

Our first exposure to the festivities began on our trip to the grocery store while we were getting some drinks and dinner at the cafe. Entering the store, there was a woman handing out these amazing braided palm bouquets - and wasn’t even accepting anything in return.

On Sunday morning, we were dropped off by our driver for Mass at the Iglesia de San Francisco and were immersed in a sea of even more impressive bouquets - some several feet tall and including pictures of loved ones, crucifixes, and flowers. Inside the cathedral, a crowd of people holding bouquets up high had formed around the altar, only dispersed by a very solemn song played by a brass band signaling the start of Mass.

Afterwards, we walked to the Monastery and Church of Santo Domingo and joined an English tour. Some of the highlights included visiting the monk’s library, gardens, and the crypt where St. Martin De Porres and St Rose of Lima were buried. We found it interesting that the entrance to the crypt was very narrow and short, such that you had to bow while walking down the steps. It was designed like this so that people would pay their respect to the deceased upon entering the crypt. St. Rose of Lima is the only woman buried at the monastery.

Saint Martin De Porres was a monk at the Monastery of Santo Domingo in the 1600’s. His father was a Spanish noble and his mother a freed slave from Panama. Because he was bi-racial, he was not allowed to become a monk. He humbly took a job in the monastery as a servant and volunteer. The monks grew to love and respect Martin De Porres and later overlooked the laws and made him a monk.

We also walked to the Shrine of St. Rose of Lima. St Rose was the first saint canonized in the Americas. She became a dominican tertiary in her 20’s and lived in a small hermitage in her parent’s garden that she built with her brother. It was amazing to see how small and simple the building was. There were nuns at the shrine selling flowers from St. Rose’s garden along with notecards on which people would write prayers to St. Rose and drop them into the family well.

Later in the day, we came across another crowd that had formed at the entrance of of the Church of Santo Domingo. A small parade band began playing--first a grand introduction, followed by a very solemn trumpet feature. A line of sisters carrying bowls of incense formed in the street. Then, out of the church gates, a group of monks carrying a giant float depicting Jesus appeared and marched in procession. We followed the procession for several blocks as they very slowly swung back and forth, stopping several times along the way to rest and change couriers (the float looked really heavy). We finally made it back to the square in front of the Cathedral of Lima.

The entire parade was very ceremonial, reverent, and was one of the most memorable sights of the trip for us.

In a complete reversal of emotions, we walk into the Plaza Mayor in front of the Cathedral and found yet another large crowd of people, this one waiting for the Cardinal, who came out to a roar of cheering, music, and celebration.

On our family trips, we try to make a point of going to church, not only because of obligation, but also because it has been a great way to open our eyes and experience God in a whole new culture. Lima was a perfect example of this. Looking back on our trip, this day was the most memorable, and it was because of what we experienced on our day of pilgrimage.

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Links:

1. For an amazing site with lots of information about sites to see in Lima, check out http://www.limaeasy.com/

2. Shrine of St Martin of Porres and St Rose of Lima at Convent of Santo Domingo Lima was a beautiful convent and shrine to these two saints. There was a wonderful tour in English of the convent, crypt, shrine and belfry. http://www.conventosantodomingolima.org/

3. Church of San Francisco (Iglesia de San Francisco) is a beautiful church, crypt and Unesco World Heritage site. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_San_Francisco,_Lima

4. Church and Sanctuary of St Rose is located on site where Rose grew up. Able to see the little house she built and the well. http://www.limaeasy.com/culture-guide/historical-churches/church-and-sanctuary-of-saint-rose-of-lima



Teaching Resources:

1. Saint Rose of Lima:

Read Saint Rose of Lima The Story of the First Canonized Saint of the Americas by Mary Fabyan Windeatt

2. Saint Martin de Porres:

Read Martin de Porres the Rose in the Desert by Gary D. Schmidt

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