Santa Teresita: Going to Church in San Jose, Costa Rica
It’s interesting how religion is such an idosynchrosy.
At the same time it brings people together, it divides people.
Brings people together:
I can be at a Catholic mass in Denver, Colorado, USA – or – Munich, Germany – or – in the case of today, San Jose, Costa Rica, and I can understand what’s going on and be a part of something MUCH larger than me and where I am, even though I don’t know the language of the mass.
Divides people:
This goes without saying really, for anyone who knows any of their history, but to reiterate:
- Catholicism/Christianity has been used as a way to enslave and kill millions of people throughout history.
- Catholics and Protestants in Ireland have been fighting for hundreds of years.
- Extremism exists in nearly every major religion today and is used as the reason for many of the current global conflicts (which are actually much more about economics – but I digress.)
I’m not sure how to reconcile the conflict of knowing all of this about organized religion, and yet having relied on my faith in times of difficulty, and relied on the religion I was raised in to make new places more familiar.
I think that will be a question/paradox I will let roll around in my brain for a while.
In any case, we went to church this morning.
Santa Teresita is a beautiful building and is about 4 short blocks from our apartment here in San Jose.
(It’s the red cross on the map here – will find a different graphic soon.)

The service itself was PACKED! We were very surprised. Neither of us can remember going to a service (Catholic or Lutheran) that was so completely full, except on a holiday like Christmas or Easter.
Here is the inside of the Santa Teresita church.

Santa Teresita in San Jose also has beautiful stained glass windows.

It was neat to be able to follow along with the mass 100%. The only time I couldn’t understand what was going on was during the homily/sermon, because, well, I don’t yet speak Spanish.
We’re really looking forward to getting out of the city as well.
Our apartment is great here at Hotel Aranjuez, but the sound of car alarms going off about every two hours, the train passing through and honking every 30 minutes, and the general noise of city life, are an experience we’re ready to escape for a while – especially since we’re in Costa Rica – supposed land of nature and tranquility.
Perhaps if we had taken the city tour, we would have more of an appreciation for why people live here in San Jose, but it was $35/person that we didn’t want to spend.
La Tortuga Feliz should be a definite departure from city life. (with solar panels for electricity – which we understand is used pretty much exclusively to pump and heat water and cook food).
- March 18, 2010 03:50 PM : It rains every day in Quito?
- March 17, 2010 08:59 PM : Sharing my passion by blogging
- March 16, 2010 12:32 AM : Otavalo Market, Otavalo, Ecuador
- March 15, 2010 05:12 PM : Visiting the Equator (Mitad del Mundo, Ecuador)
- March 14, 2010 05:41 PM : Does Ecuador change times?
- March 11, 2010 04:03 PM : Un Presentación de la Pizza
- March 10, 2010 04:05 PM : Getting Passport Pages: The United States Embassy in Quito, Ecuador
- March 08, 2010 05:34 AM : How To Make Empanadas: Empanadas From Plantains in Quito, Ecuador
- March 06, 2010 06:46 PM : How Can You Afford To Travel - Phones
- March 06, 2010 05:59 PM : My favorite day so far...being welcomed as part of an Ecuadorian family
- March 05, 2010 05:59 PM : La Basilica de Quito, Ecuador: The tallest church tower in South America
- March 05, 2010 03:08 PM : How Can You Afford To Travel?
- March 05, 2010 01:16 PM : The Lost Generation?
- March 04, 2010 10:01 AM : Quito Ecovia in Rush Hour: The Quito Bus System
- March 03, 2010 02:54 PM : Where Have You Been?
- March 02, 2010 09:10 PM : Visiting the Doctor in Quito, Ecuador
- March 02, 2010 08:56 PM : Saquisili Market near Quito, Ecuador
- March 02, 2010 07:36 AM : How to Make Canelazos: Como Hacen Canelazos
- March 01, 2010 08:05 AM : A Night Tour of Quito, Ecuador: Pictures And Videos
- February 28, 2010 10:00 PM : February Changes: Movable Type to WordPress
- February 27, 2010 02:09 PM : Cotopaxi in Ecuador is the highest active volcano on Earth
- February 26, 2010 05:47 PM : Videos of Our Quito Apartment: Ecuador
- February 24, 2010 02:08 PM : Torpedos de Ruidoso: Our earplugs
- February 22, 2010 06:49 PM : A Friendly Reminder
- February 22, 2010 05:44 AM : Pictures of Quito From Our Balcony
- February 19, 2010 02:53 PM : Cuatro Rosas
- February 18, 2010 05:13 PM : Spanish Doesn't Come Naturally, That's For Sure
- February 14, 2010 04:12 PM : Happy Valentine's Day from Quito, Ecuador
- February 13, 2010 04:16 PM : Teleferiqo, a gondola to 13,340 ft. in Quito, Ecuador
- February 12, 2010 04:21 PM : Weird Food: Eating Cuy (Guinea Pig) in Quito, Ecuador
- February 11, 2010 09:34 PM : Do You Have A Sixth Sense? Check This Out!
- February 05, 2010 08:10 PM : Ecuador Has Huge Cabbages
- February 05, 2010 01:16 PM : Quito, Ecuador: Day 2
- February 04, 2010 01:06 PM : Arriving in Quito, Ecuador and checking in to our apartment
- February 03, 2010 07:22 PM : Hotel Santana: A review of Hotel Santana in Santa Ana, Panama City, Panama


