Holy Wednesday in Plaza Diego Ibarra, Caracas, Venezuela

Lately, I’ve been summarizing my Holy Week experience here in Hive, and today it’s time to talk about one of the days that draws the largest crowds of parishioners here in Caracas: Holy Wednesday, and that’s mainly due to the procession of the Nazareno de San Pablo, an image of Jesus that is deeply loved by Catholics here in Venezuela and which many use as a way to thank Jesus Christ for favors and miracles granted. Of course, it’s not close to home—you have to walk a bit—but the city center is usually beautiful, as I’ve mentioned before, and it’s a pleasant walk.

We took the long way there 😍 My mom was in town—she actually arrived on Holy Wednesday—so we left home early, and before reaching the Basilica of Santa Teresa, we took a long walk so she could remember the beauty of Caracas’s streets, and we had some ice cream. It was really quite a long walk before we got there, but the city was very cool that afternoon, and it was worth it. We finally arrived an hour before Mass, which was to be held in Plaza Diego Ibarra due to the large number of people expected to attend.

When we arrived, there was still plenty of room, and my mom managed to squeeze in and sit in one of the few available chairs—that’s the perk of being a senior citizen 😅—but my wife and I had no trouble making our way to the areas we wanted. There was only one moment when we preferred to stay put: when Mass began. Plus, the view was breathtaking—the sunset was happening behind the Towers of Silence as Mass and the hymns took place, and in the background we could see the Basilica of Saint Teresa as it was illuminated, contrasting with the clouds that were changing color as night fell.

This year I didn’t focus much on taking photos of the Nazarene of San Pablo, and not so much because I was too far away or because I hadn’t gotten close to the statue during the procession, but because I was truly enjoying the moment. It was an afternoon of peace in my soul; I felt calm, even though I was walking among many people—something that usually stresses me out. But I think that, in addition to being immersed in this massive act of faith, there was the peace of mind that my mom and my wife were with me, and as long as they’re okay, then I’m okay—that’s all I want at this point in my life. It got dark quickly, and the procession began without delay...

The statue of the Nazarene of San Pablo was carried by the parishioners, followed by the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows—it’s a truly striking scene, accompanied by candles and hymns. And boy, do these people walk through various parts of downtown Caracas for hours, but that wasn’t the case for us 😅—we’d already walked a lot before arriving, and we still had the trip home ahead of us, not to mention that my mom was tired from the journey, so I just took a couple more photos of the area and we headed home, this time taking the shortcut, but happy—it was barely halfway through the week and Mom had just arrived... Better days were ahead 🙏