Origin of Visita Iglesia

When I told this story to Msgr. Nardz Vicente of San Pedro Cathedral last Good Friday, he gave a surprise reaction saying, “First time I hear that. You should have written about it before Holy Week.” He is right. People should know the little history. This can be done before Holy Week next year. But why wait for next year?

Maybe I can share it now hoping Shalom readers will make it widely known because in essence it concerns an awesome mystery so important in living daily our Christian life.

The most important rite of Holy Thursday is the Holy Mass and the whole evening adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the so-called monumento.

It has been a very long custom since the Spanish time for adorers to gain a plenary indulgence during this sacred moment. This was done by saying One Our Father, One Hail Mary, and One Glory Be for the intention of the Holy Father the Pope. And “as often as” these prayers and intention are said, the indulgence is received, so the people were taught.

The expression, “as often as”, was rendered “toties quoties” in Latin, and understood as the “repetition of the same prayers and intention every time one visits the Blessed Sacrament reposed on the monumento.” Now if there is only one church in the parish, the adorer, who desired to gain more indulgences, was advised to exit and return to the same church as many times as desired.

But if there are other parish churches and their respective monumentos the adorer could make the visit there, say the prescribed prayers and intention while adoring the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. In Spanish language this was described as “Visita al Santisimo Sacramento en el monumento de la iglesia parroquial”.

Literally, the Spanish description is translated thus: “visit to the Blessed Sacrament in the monumento of the parish church”. Through the years parish adorers began dropping the others words. What remains now is “visita iglesia”.

I often wonder if those making the visita iglesia know about the gaining of plenary indulgence applicable to the souls in purgatory, and most of all, the adoration of the Real Presence of Jesus.

Or, as we are informed, some people make the visita iglesia to see how the monumentos are set up and decorated. If true, it is sadly unfortunate.