We had such a neat day today. It was really rainy and windy when we went out. We did some fun shopping and then ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It is one of the most holy sites in the entire world for Catholics. The Greek, Roman and Armenian Churches have their own sections. Andrea Hale advised me to make friends with the Armenian priests. That made all the difference. We got to know this young priest who was in the seminary right now who grew up in Vancouver. He was a DJ before becoming a priest. He’s in the process of deciding if he would be celibate or not. If he chooses to be celibate then he can continue up the latter of priests in the church but if he wants to have a family then he can only be a priest at a local church. He took us around to all the secret areas and even took us in front of all the lines. It was so neat to hear him talk about his faith but also the quirks within his religion. He said that there is a lot of enmity between the priests in the three religions. He explained that the cultures divide them. It was a very happy day. I love these girls that I've become close with.
Our two religion teachers have their families here. They have 11 children between the two families. Tonight they put on a talent show that was so fun! They were doing skits, gymnastic shows, poems, piano performances and dances. I loved it and totally want to do that with my kids some day.
It feels so good to be done with our Judaism and Islam classes. I loved them but am excited to have a little bit more time to explore the city. I feel so privileged to be here and having this experience.
2 comments:
That is remarkable. I am so glad you get these experiences. What a life!
Isn't it so interesting how the three different sects have divided up the church . . . to the point that I think one of the sects has to enter the building by crawling through a window (at least that's how it was in 1993)! I hope you continue to enjoy your grand adventure in the Holy Land. Love you lots, Sandra
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