This is my last weekend at São Paulo.
Today I went into the old town to hear Mass at Mosteiro de São Bento, where the Benedictine monks chant at the Mass. High expectations but low fulfilment. There were only three monks chanting with organ music backing, but the church was packed with churchgoers and tourists, standing room only. It was like a circus and it lacked the dignity and solemness of the occasion. I observed some people arriving in shorts and flip flops as if they were going to the beach.
Today the Bishop was in attendance. He was at the end of the procession that walked up to the altar at the beginning of the mass; he was a small man with a nice smile and he blessed everyone on his short trip to the altar. I don't remember such rituals when I was a young girl attending mass at Hong Kong.
Today I went into the old town to hear Mass at Mosteiro de São Bento, where the Benedictine monks chant at the Mass. High expectations but low fulfilment. There were only three monks chanting with organ music backing, but the church was packed with churchgoers and tourists, standing room only. It was like a circus and it lacked the dignity and solemness of the occasion. I observed some people arriving in shorts and flip flops as if they were going to the beach.
Today the Bishop was in attendance. He was at the end of the procession that walked up to the altar at the beginning of the mass; he was a small man with a nice smile and he blessed everyone on his short trip to the altar. I don't remember such rituals when I was a young girl attending mass at Hong Kong.
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| Mosteiro de São Bento entrance |
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| The basilica |
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| The nave, before the crowd descended |
