A Glorious Ending to the Christmas Season

We held small tapers during Mass

Aspérges me, Dómine, hysópe, et mundábor: lavábis me, et super nivem dealbábor. 1

The Christmas season officially came to an end Friday evening on the Feast of Candlemas. The forty faith-filled days, replete with feasts and devotions, concluded at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents in Manhattan with Eucharistic adoration, benediction, and a High Mass in honor of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Prior to the Mass, Fr. Miara performed the blessing of the candles. Sprinkling them with holy water three times while reciting the Asperges, he then incensed the candles. The solemn rite concluded with a candlelight procession around the packed church while the congregation sang the Antiphons.

After Mass, the faithful venerated the statue of the infant Jesus at the Altar Rail, just as we did at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

The Glory of Spain at the Hispanic Museum and Library

Before attending Mass, we visited the Hispanic Museum and Library in Upper Manhattan to see its magnificent collection of paintings by Diego Velázquez, Francisco de Goya, and El Greco, among others. Closed since 2017 for extensive renovations, it was our first time there since the reopening in June 2023.

(L) El Cid Campeador, 1927, bronze, Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington. (R) Saint Luke, ca. 1590, oil on canvas, Doménikos Theotokopoulos, called El Greco

(L) Portrait of a Man, ca. 1550, oil on panel transferred to canvas, Anthonis
Mor van Dashorst, called Antonio Moro. (R) Portrait of the Duchess
of Alba, 1797, oil on canvas, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes

(L) Portrait of a Little Girl, ca. 1638-1642, oil on canvas, Diego Velázquez.
(R) Portrait of Camillo Astalli, known as Cardinal Pamphili,
ca. 1650-1651, oil on canvas, Diego Velázquez

(L) The Prodigal Son Among the Swine, ca. 1660, oil on canvas,
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. (R) Saint Emerentiana, ca.
1635-1640, oil on canvas, Francisco de Zurbarán

(L) Saint Sebastian, ca. 1603-1607, oil on canvas, Alonso Vázquez.
(R) Portrait of Maria de Haro y Guzman, Duchess of Pastrana and
Duchess of Infantado, 1665-75, oil on canvas, anonymous.

Ecstasy of Saint Mary Magdalene, ca. 1690, polychromed
terracotta, Luisa Roldán, known as La Roldana

Notes

[1] Thou shalt sprinkle me, O Lord, with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall become whiter than snow.