Visiting Seven Churches During Lent

[Seamus_L]

It used to be a very common practice, though I’ve heard differing accounts of how it was done. I remember my mother telling me years ago, that you could visit seven churches anytime during Lent, while a friend of mine, who’s over 80, told me that he remembers doing all seven churches on Good Friday, and on foot, since we used to have alot more churches in Chicago in the past.
I picked up the habit, actually a couple years before I came back to the church, and so I spread it out over Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Last night, I managed four. St John Cantius, St Mary of the Angels, St Hedwig, and Holy Trinity (I was on the North Side). I hope to do quite a few more on the South Side later today.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I thought the custom was seven churches on Holy Thursday, but as with all such devotions, there’s room for variation.

Here are a couple of short articles about it in case anyone is interested.

The Seven Churches

The Seven Churches Visitation

 

[Seamus_L]

I still remember what my mom’s 7 churches were during her childhood, and it’s a sad sobering reflection how the world has changed since then.

Her parish. St Augustine (50th-Laflin) Torn down
1.St Rose of Lime (48th-Justine) Torn down
2.St Joseph (48th-Hermitage) Still open
3.Sts Cyril and Methodius (50th-Hermitage) Now a Protestant church
4.St Basil (55th-Honore) Torn down
5.Visitation (55th-Peoria) Still open
6.St John the Baptist (50th-Peoria) Now a Protestant church
7.St John of God (52nd-Throop) Torn down

                           8 Catholic churches in an area about 7 blocks by 9. 

                            On a positive note, last night, the crowds visiting churches on the North Side were the largest I've seen in probably 18 years.

 

[malphono]

It used to be a very common practice, though I’ve heard differing accounts of how it was done. I remember my mother telling me years ago, that you could visit seven churches anytime during Lent, while a friend of mine, who’s over 80, told me that he remembers doing all seven churches on Good Friday, and on foot, since we used to have alot more churches in Chicago in the past.

I picked up the habit, actually a couple years before I came back to the church, and so I spread it out over Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Last night, I managed four. St John Cantius, St Mary of the Angels, St Hedwig, and Holy Trinity (I was on the North Side). I hope to do quite a few more on the South Side later today.

From times past, I remember the “Seven Churches” being spread out from Holy Thursday after the Repose, through Good Friday, before the 9th Hour (3:00pm). This having been a semi-rural area, it would have been impossible to do it on foot, but there were at least seven churches (Latin churches, that is) within a relatively short driving distance of one another.

 

[choliks]

This tradition is still very much alive here in the Philippines. We call it visita iglesia.

 

[Seamus_L]

Visiting churches on Good Friday is a practice I follow, but it doesn’t appear to be particularly popular in my area. Unfortunately, a surprising number of churches are locked on Good Friday, and don’t open till 6 or 7 in the evening. The veiling of statues has also become increasingly popular here as well.