104/365 Catholic icons

Like the Italians, Mexicans take their Catholic faith seriously.  On our first Sunday in Puerto Vallarta we passed a church having mass.  I was surprised to see there were so many people at the mass that they were spilling out on to the steps and street outside the church...that rarely happens here...maybe Christmas Eve.  One day Piper and I visited several small farming and ranching communities.  We stopped at the town square of one of them and ventured inside the Catholic church.  Parts of it were ornate...the statues, the alter, the crucifix, the stained glass windows. Other parts were simple, from the terra cotta floors to the the rough wooden benches.



A statue of a crucified Jesus lay on a red velvet cushion in a glass coffin. Had I seen this as a 6-year old young Catholic on my way to first confession, I may have never set foot in a Catholic church again...I definitely would have had nightmares.



Simple, yet beautiful stained glass windows.

A rough wooden bench for parishoners.  My poor mother with her bad knees never would have been able to get up after kneeling on this.