‘In need of coming back’: Good Friday lures faithful
Stations of the Cross at grotto includes social distancing
It’s been almost a year since Maria Duran attended Mass in person.
During that year, she listened to sermons online, occasionally interrupted by the various distractions at home, but she was determined to keep the faith.
Then her parents fell ill with the very virus keeping her and her family from church. In January, they both died.
It was a difficult time. But her faith kept her strong, as she prayed at home for her loved ones, waiting for the day when she could return to hallowed ground and focus on her spiritual needs.
Friday was that day. Donning a mask, Duran, 50, attended the Good Friday outdoor service at the serene Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto on the campus of the Oblate School of Theology.
Taking her place at one of several benches, she followed along as Father Tom Ovalle led the group of about 150 faithful in the 14 Stations of the Cross, recognizing the steps of Jesus Christ’s last journey, from the time when he was condemned to death to carrying the cross and falling to the crucifixion to his body placed in the tomb.
As Ovalle recited each station, Duran and the others knelt in place briefly. Then they would stand and then kneel again for the next station.
“I was deep in prayer,” Duran said afterward. “I was really in need of coming back.”
While Duran and the others stood and knelt at
the benches, others listened to Ovalle’s voice over the loudspeaker and walked to the individual sculptures marking each of the Stations of the Cross on the grounds.
Typically, that’s how the Stations of the Cross are done: Ovalle leads a large group from station to station. However, to help promote safety, the priest recited the Stations of the Cross at the front and kept most of the audience near their benches, socially distant from each other.
Ovalle noticed this year’s service was more somber.
“There’s a lot of suffering,” he said. “Families are grieving, families are torn.”
But he and other church members try to make the grotto feel like home for whoever visits.
Rose Campos grew up coming to the grotto, making a point to visit the grounds once a month as an adult. After a yearlong hiatus, she made the 40-minute drive across town again, bringing her husband and 10-year-old nephew with her.
“It’s different not having services,” she said. She misses the inperson interaction but has worked on growing her faith while physically away from church.
Now she feels like she’s being reintroduced to everything as coronavirus restrictions are eased, including attending church services.
Just Tuesday night, the Archdiocese of San Antonio adjusted coronavirus safety protocols in time for Good Friday, allowing churches to open all pews instead of closing every other one and reducing social distancing guidelines from 6 feet to 3 feet.
The grotto, which is a replica of the cave where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France, was dedicated Dec. 7, 1941.
It has been hosting outdoor services despite the pandemic since May 19, making sure attendees are wearing masks and socially distancing. But it didn’t have the Good Friday and Easter services in 2020 because the crowds would likely have been large.
The largest issue with worshipping at the grotto during the pandemic has been when it rains. When this happens, the congregation has to go inside, which can fit only about 60 people, Ovalle said.
Other churches have also gotten creative with worship this year, with Catholic Television of San Antonio recording San Fernando Cathedral’s traditional passion play instead of having its live performance. The hourlong production is available to view on social media and cable television.
Church leaders are hopeful that next year, the cathedral members will be able to have the live passion play, and Ovalle hopes for a more normal Good Friday, too.
“Hopefully next year we can journey and make the stations all together,” he said.