Going to Mass on Easter Sunday ended up being a four-hour event.
We left the house a little early for the 11am mass at the chapel near University of South Carolina's campus. We wanted to walk around the grounds of the South Carolina State House (aka The Capitol) before Mass. The building, with it's copper dome, was very pretty. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside for a tour today (knowing we won't have time later to do it).
The garden was in full bloom. I wish I knew what some of these trees are the flowers were so breathtaking.
We arrived at the chapel a few minutes before 11, but were too late. Even the foyer was full. So full, I couldn't even see into the chapel itself. We decided to leave to allow those with children an opportunity to stay.
The next Mass we could find was at St Peter's Church at noon. So we took a detour to Finlay Park til then. Great open green space with a pond and man-made waterfalls. The rock steps meandered to the top of the falls with views of downtown Columbia. I loved the metal swing benches at the top.
Unfortunately I couldn't take any pictures of St Peter's (since Masses were in session), but this is one of those historic, ornate, cathedral-like churches that I do like to wander into when I can. It had the spires, and walls filled with floor-to-ceiling stained glass, vaulted ceilings, and a big pipe organ. The full choir (10-12?) sung like angels. Probably the most professional singing choir I've heard in a church. Most of the music was from Mozart's Coronation Mass, so it was in Latin. Even part of the Mass was given in Latin. The Parish of St Peter's dates back to 1852. What a wonderful accidental find...especially for Easter Sunday.
Click on any of the photos to see more from our day.
No comments:
Post a Comment