" . . . And Though They May Be Parted . . . "

On Good Friday we had a long and miserable walk to the train station. It was rainy and gross outside for which I was glad because it was appropriate for Good Friday. And it was only right that we should have this opportunity for suffering on the day Our Lord died for us.

There were no seats on the train so we had to sit by the door in the cold hallway. About halfway through the journey some seats opened up and I was able to get in a short nap before we arrived in Cork. By the time we got to Cork the day had become rather nicer which was very nice of Our Lord and Lady to do for us. I said the Chaplet as we walked to our hostel and sang some Good Friday songs.

Our hostel was so cool! It was a pub with a hostel attached to it. But we were immediately informed that the bar was not allowed to open until later because it was Good Friday and when they did open it was only for the benefit of those staying at the hostel! Oh my gosh!!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How insanely cool is that?! The BAR couldn't open because it was GOOD FRIDAY!!!!!!!! I LOVE IRELAND!!!!!!!!

We then went for a walk around Cork and stopped in a bookstore because it's the only bookstore we're gonna visit this semester that will actually have books in English! So we had some fun checking out the bookstore and then continued our walk. We were about to pass this little street when we noticed a Church down it and since we're fans of Church hopping anyway and since it was Good Friday we decided to stop in and say hi to Jesus. Well we had been kind of bummed cuz we had missed the 11:00 train that morning and so hadn't gotten to Cork in time for Veneration of the Cross. So we walk into this random Church and on the bulletin board is a sign that at 5:00 there will be a Good Friday service . . . IN LATIN! And it was literally about 2 minutes to 5! Oh my gosh does Mama Mary take care of us!!!!! We basically went to a High Latin Service. The Priests and Deacons and Altar Servers were all wearing the intense Latin Mass vestments. There were two cute little altar servers in the red vestments and then the regular altar servers in the black vestments. Father's homily was beautiful. It was about being ready to receive Our Lord and how so many in the Passion account were not ready to receive Him - even His friends.

There were then the intentions which are special on Good Friday - I forget exactly what it's called but it's when the Priest reads the intention and then the whole congregation kneels and then rises and then the Priest recites a prayer and then goes to the next intention. I love that!

And then there was veneration of the Cross and then Communion. Oh my gosh I love Our Lord and I love receiving Him! Isn't He so good to us?!

After the service we got to walk around the Church for a few minutes which I always love doing because these European Churches are all so beautiful!

We then went to Mike's Diner for dinner and had fish 'n chips! I was excited. And it was so funny - the diner was totally like an american diner from the 50's - they were even playing Elvis and Johnny Cash! It was hilarious! It's so endearing how these European places try so hard to be American and yet just can't pull it off. And it's so cute but at the same time it's like no, you're european, be proud of that, trust me, America needs to become more like Europe not the other way around. But it's so sweet you just can't help loving them for it.

Then we went back to the hostel, played cards, and went to bed.