Azores

 

Diane and I just returned from 10 days in the Azores on Sao Miquel (St. Michael).  We postponed this trip for two-years due to COVID travel restrictions.

Staying in Sao Roque near Ponta Delgada, we were situated next to this Church of Sao Roque.  The interior was spectacular, and the priest offered me the opportunity to assist him at Sunday Mass.  I thanked him, but I decided to attend with Diane.  Some of the hardest pews we've ever encountered.  

A Mass in Portuguese was fairly easy to follow since all Masses worldwide have the same ritual and liturgy.  The church's setting on a low cliff with great views of the ocean added to the occasion.

A day trip brought us to the town of Furnas with another historic and beautiful church: Church of Our Lady of Joy. An outstanding, although fanciful, depiction of Jesus carrying his cross dominates the interior, as does the tiled alcove where baptisms are performed.

For those who might want to visit the Azores to see these churches and far more, be sure to go when the hydrangeas are in bloom.  On our trip, a sea of blue hydrangea was everywhere to be seen.

Deacon David Pierce