A Family Sunday in Spain

Yesterday, we woke up to dark overcast skies. It rained a little on and off, and it got clearer towards evening, with beautiful sunset skies on this evening when the clocks were to be put back an hour. We only ventured as far as the supermarket, two miles there and back. I cooked a paella for supper, which turned out well, despite having to use a poor quality frying pan, and we went to bed early to take advantage of the extra rest.

We woke up to a bright sunny day, and after breakfast made the 45 minute walk into town for Sunday Mass in the Parish Church. There are two clergy, four Sunday Masses here. We arrived in time to have a coffee in Glorietta Square, just around the corner from the church, before the eleven o'clock. The cafe area was crowded with people breakfasting, young and old alike, and an accordeonist was playing popular tunes and begging a few coins from his audience. A young African trader did his rounds with a couple of trays of watches. For the first time in several years, I saw one identical to the Casio I lost some months ago, but as I've acquired a different one since, I resisted the temptation. One is enough.

The church was full for the service we attended, three hundred adults and a hundred children. There was a music group consisting of a couple of guitars and woodwind soloists, and some very lively singing of popular hymns, all of which seemed to have actions. It seemed in every sense to be a true 'family Eucharist'. Some worship songs had lots of rhythmic clapping, reminiscent of football anthems. Some of the adults as well as all the children joined in with gusto. There was no traditional church music. 

I recognised the two priests as ones who were in place two and a half years ago. The Parish is fortunate to have such continuity when European Catholic church priestly vocations are still falling. There was a lovely lively sense of being part of a worshipping community. The sense of prayeful joy made it resemble a charismatic renewal worship gathering, except that it was more focussed, disciplined, with lots of spontanaiety and warmth in the personal interactions, with no expressions of a self indulgent nature. Good teaching and leadership is reaping rewards here. It felt so right as a contemporary Spanish expression of Christian faith.

There was a handsome Tall Ship flying the Portugues flag anchored a mile off the mainland. After Mass we strolled out along the harbour wall among half term weekend promenaders to get as near as we could to take photographs. This gave us an impression of the size of the fishing fleet anchored here at Sta Pola, as most of its craft were in port, resting quietly moored along the key, some of them doubled up in one berth. It's said to be one of the largest fleets of its kind in the Mediterranean. 

We then made our leisurely way to the Varadero restaurant for Sunday lunch. It was very busy with families of three generations, sitting, eating and talking their way through a sunny afternoon. Every bit as Spanish as our lively Sunday Mass.