In 1997, as a sophomore in college, I studied abroad in Granada, Spain. I returned home having decided to be a Spanish major and having told Jesus I was open to the possibility of being a priest. It was a good year and Spain would forever be in my heart.
During my second year of seminary, I discovered that among the many rites of the Catholic Church there is an ancient rite of Spain now called the Hispanic-Mozarabic Rite. I was thrilled. I already had a love for liturgy and the different rites of the church and to discover that my beloved Spain had her own rite — I couldn’t wait to learn more.
In 2004, I found myself sitting in the pews of the Hermitage of St. Isidore the Farmer in Madrid for my first Holy Mass according to the Mozarabic rite. The priest pegged me for a seminarian and — to my joy — invited me to hold the chalice as he gave Communion to the faithful saying, “May the Body of Christ be your salvation and the Blood of Christ remain with you as [your]true redemption.” I left content and with photocopies of the Spanish translation of the proper prayers for the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The priest’s name was Don Manuel Gonzalez-Corps and under his leadership the little group gathered for the weekly Mozarabic Mass in Madrid has grown. They’ve now moved to the Basilica of the Immaculate Concepcion and regularly several hundred faithful fill the pews. Don Manuel no longer has to lead the singing (and everything else for that matter), but rather a choir of devotees sings the specific hymns for the Mass of the day, as well as other songs to accompany the liturgy. On Tuesday, Sept. 26, Don Manuel was one of eight concelebrants with Auxiliary Bishop Gabriel Chow of Lima presiding at the Mass. Among the concelebrants also was a tall American priest from the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. That was me.
As usual, after Mass a core group from the Association for the Hispanic-Mozarabic Rite (Hermandad Gothia) headed to a pub for tapas. The last time I was there I was blessed to sit across from the Patriarch of Damascus and this time I was able to share stories about my time as a volunteer missionary in Peru. Five hundred years ago when the Spanish missionaries began celebrating marriages in Peru, the rest of the New World, and the Philippines, they brought with them the peculiar Mozarabic traditions of giving coins (arras) and placing the veil of the bride over the bride and groom (velo or laso). These Mozarabic traditions are now a part of the majority of Hispanic weddings here in Oregon.
In June, I received an email from the president of the Hermandad Gothia saying this year on Sept. 30 there would be a pilgrimage to Toledo for the members of the Mozarabic fraternity and their friends and family. I realized this pilgrimage was a beautiful step in my spiritual journey that began 20 years ago as I first stood, with tears in my eyes, in the Proto-Cathedral of Granada’s Alhambra Palace.
The pilgrimage started with three busloads of pilgrims driving the one hour from Madrid to Toledo. We prayed morning prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours and I was stunned that almost everyone pulled out smart phones and opened the EPrex app to pray along. I was thankful to give a little fervorino about the joy of pilgrimage and being open to what the Lord had planned for us that day.
Once in Toledo, we celebrated Mass according to the Hispanic-Mozarabic Rite in the parish of San Lucas, which was founded in 641. Although Mass is celebrated according to the rite in various places, San Lucas is one of only two Hispanic-Mozarabic parishes in the entire world. The pastor’s heart was full of pride and joy to see the 12th century church full and to hear its white horseshoe-arched walls resounding with songs of praise.
After Mass we wound our way through the narrow medieval streets of the city stopping for a refresher and tapas. We ate lunch in the Hotel Alfonso VI — an appropriate location considering Alfonso was the king who reconquered Toledo and granted the charter that established the rights of the Mozarabic Christians who had maintained the Catholic faith during Visigothic and Islamic rule. The name Mozarab means “Mixed-Arab” because in addition to Latin and their own language they spoke Arabic and wore Arabic garb typical of the time and region.
The pilgrimage ended in the other Mozarabic parish: St. Eulalia. We began with a Mozarabic candle-lighting liturgy called Lucernario. It was followed by evening prayer according to the Roman Rite, presided over by Archbishop Don Braulio of Toledo. As archbishop, he is responsible for the Hispanic-Mozarabic Rite. He gave a short homily and then the members of the Hermandad Gothia were called forward to receive the fraternity medallion. As I watched Don Manuel receive his medallion from the archbishop who was his childhood pastor, seminary mentor, and now his friend, I couldn’t help but get a little teary eyed. I look forward to the day when I receive my medallion and step more fully into the heritage of such a rich part of our Catholic tradition.
As we made our way back to the buses, a young woman named Matilda thanked me for being there. She said, “When foreigners are here with us, it reminds us of the universality of the church.” Little did she realize that my presence there was a reminder to me as well of the diversity and universality of the church.
The writer is pastor of Ascension Parish in Southeast Portland.
Gracias P.David por este bello relato de su descubrimiento e interés por el rito hispano mozárabe y por hacernos revivir ese día de peregrinación en Toledo a través de los ojos y desde la gran altura de un sacerdote de Portland.
Desde aquí pido yá, que se le otorgue la medalla de Gothia al P.David y se le imponga tan pronto él pueda trasladarse a Madrid.
Mi deseo es poder estar presente ese día pues será un gran honor y una gran alegría poder presenciarlo.
Gracias Padre, por compartir todas esas experiencias con nosotros.
Yo también guardo un bonito recuerdo de la peregrinación a Toledo.
Espero nos acompañe en futuras ocasiones y apoyo la iniciativa de otorgarle la medalla de Gothia.
¡¡¡Hasta pronto!!!
Dear F. David:
Thanks a lot for your words !!!!! We are very happy having you as a friend !! We spent a lovely day in Toledo with you and we’re missing you a lot !!!!! I remember what you said when we were going to Toledo: Our Lord is going to talk today to us, listen to Him !!and it was truth !!! Please come back soon María Hornedo.
Father it was our pleasure to have you with us, adding a truly international dimension to our celebrations. We hope that it will not be too long before you join us again. And while we wait, please continue to contribute to this webpage. For sure the next time around, you will have the Gothia cross propoerly bestowed on you.
God bless you!
Rezamos Laudes en el autocar, mientras recorríamos el campo tan reseco. Y el P. David salió desde el fondo, se sentó precariamente en el brazo de uno de los asientos, tomó el micrófono y nos dio el regalo de su little fervorino.
‘Dios tiene hoy algo especial preparado para ti. Hay que estar atentos porque habla suavemente. Qué es lo que te tiene reservado no lo sé, puede ser una experiencia espiritual, o una palabra, o el encuentro con una persona inesperada, o qué sé yo. No lo sabemos, pero Dios te va a hacer hoy un regalo. Estemos atentos.’
Bueno, pues sí, fue verdad. Sólo que el P. David se quedó corto. Dios nos desconcierta con su generosidad. Aquello fue un derroche, un chorreón de gracia, y no la menor tener con nosotros a un sacerdote venido de otro confín del mundo, que nos iluminó y reconfortó con sus palabras. Que -y ahora me pongo frívola, con la venia- fueron dichas en un castellano impecable y con el fino e incomparable acento de las tierras de Oregón.
Gothia no se limita a los hijos de Recaredo, los carpetovetónicos de toda la vida. ¡Tenemos un hermano en el Nuevo Mundo! ¡Un presbítero! ¿Cómo es que no lo celebramos como se merece?
Fue un precioso día donde pudimos compartir la espiritualidad de Gothia y contar con la compañía de tantos sacerdotes, en especial con la de Vd. P. David, que desde tan lejos nos acompañó. Yo también deseo que le sea impuesta la medalla de Gothia y forme parte de nuestro grupo. Gracias por su compañía.
Fue una sorpresa estupenda tener a un sacerdote del otro lado del océano. Gracias padre David por su relato tan completo de la visita a Toledo y de su entrada en Gothia. Cuando se celebre en Oregón ahí nos vamos.
Que Dios le bendiga. Un fuerte abrazo
Dear F. David,
Aunque ya han pasado unos días, no quería dejar de darte las gracias por habernos acompañado en un día tan especial para Gothia.
Ha sido un gran regalo conocerte y nos has dejado, como ves por los comentarios, un recuerdo imborrable.
Deseamos regreses pronto a España para volver a estar con nosotros y también para que puedas recibir la medalla que, con tanta ilusión y agradecimiento, recibimos todos.
Hasta siempre ¡
God bless you.
Me sugiere Beatriz que escriba. Bien…
Soy Eduardo, el que toca música histórica y mozárabe, cuando le dejan, en la litúrgia, y vivo las celebraciones con espíritu abierto a la belleza y simbolísmo de gestos y oraciones, ademas de por su valor salvífico.
Por ello me place tocar y, discretamente, abrazar las columnas de los templos históricos, pues muchas de ellas lo son de templos y arquitecturas anteriores reutilizadas, aveces despojos de ruinas anteriores. Y lo hago por su valor historico y presencial pues sujetan el espacio vacio de los templos, donde sucede «todo» en la oración y liturgia.
Y cuando se puede, también abrazo a presbíteros, apostoles y demas «pilares» (mujeres también, por supuesto), son ellos- ellas los soportes del espacio y del afecto, los que dan la cara en la liturgia y la oración comunitaria.
Por ello hice fotos y abrazé al amable y sonriente padre David.
Gracias por acompañarnos y por escribir esta carta y por que alguien, que no cesa en «provocarnos» y en hacernos pensar, lo comparte en Mozarabia.