By John Spinelli
For many Two Rivers residents, spring can be a very spiritual season. In the Jewish faith, it means remembering the Passover feast before Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. For Muslims, Ramadan is a holy time devoted to prayer, fasting and almsgiving to the poor. In the Hindu faith, spring means Holi, a festival of colors that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. And then there is Easter, the holiest time of the year for Christians during which they recognize the death and resurrection of Jesus.
While many of these celebrations feature food and fasting, festive parties and familial gatherings, one unique Easter custom seems to be returning to the Two River area – the tradition of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday. Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, is the day Christians commemorate the Last Supper. It is the one day of the year most churches are likely to have their doors open until midnight or later, welcoming visitors to reflect and pray. The Seven Churches Visitation is symbolic of the last seven places Jesus went after his arrest but before his crucifixion.
This tradition attracts both young and older local pilgrims who appreciate the calm it provides in a stressful world.
“There’s something so peaceful spending time in prayer before the Eucharist. I have work tomorrow on Good Friday. Just to be able to escape all the craziness in the world for one night is something really special,” explained Shrewsbury resident Stephen Specht.
The St. Mary’s Young Adult Group started at their chapel in Middletown and traveled to St. Catherine’s in Middletown, Holy Family in Union Beach, St. Catharine’s in Holmdel, St. James and St. Anthony’s in Red Bank, and Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven.
Brian Scott Hale, a 27-year-old member of the group and resident of Middletown, said he visited five churches in neighborhoods he had never been to.
“This was my first time doing this ancient pilgrim tradition. My intention was to keep my mind and heart open to receive what the Holy Spirit would guide me through and reveal to me, rather than have my own predetermined expectations,” Hale said.
The tradition of visiting local churches originated in Europe in the Medieval Ages. Pilgrims originally traveled to the Holy Land to visit shrines, but had to stop when it became too dangerous because of the Crusades; so, they continued to travel to shrines closer to their homes.
Rev. Jarlath Quinn is the pastor of St. Agnes-OLPH in Atlantic Highlands and Highlands. His parish had two churches open for visitors on Maundy Thursday.
At some, like Shore Christian Church in Ocean Grove, parishioners spent Thursday evening singing music, instead of praying in silence. At others, the worship happened outside the church doors – Atlantic Highlands Methodist Church concluded its Holy Week mourning with a joyful and warm-weather sunrise service at the marina’s gazebo, a spring tradition that has been going on for many decades.
The article originally appeared in the April 4 – April 10, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
