Waiting With the Lord at the Waffle House

Holy Thursday will be a late night.  How do I know? Because it has been for the past six years, and this year will be no different.  

My best friend, Timmy, and I have partaken in the same Holy Thursday tradition for the past six years, a tradition I look forward to every Holy Week.  

After Holy Thursday Mass, we travel across the Archdiocese of St. Louis, visiting different parishes’ Tabernacles of Repose — the separate tabernacle to which the priest processes with the consecrated hosts at the end of the Holy Thursday Mass.  

There, we keep vigil with Our Lord. And wait for his return to the tabernacle. 

This is not just a high schooler — now college student – tradition. It is rooted in Catholic history and formally called the “Seven Church’s Visitation”. It is a popular devotion in the Church, and has a long-standing history in the Church.  

Visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday night dates to the 1500’s when St. Philip Neri would lead groups of faithful on Holy Thursday night pilgrimage through Rome, visiting the seven major basilicas and keeping vigil with Christ during his agony in the garden.  

Now, Catholics across the world continue this tradition with it being extremely popular in Latin America, Italy, Poland and the Philippines.  At each stop, pilgrims are encouraged to mediate on a different moment of the passion of Christ at each stop. If they visit seven tabernacles of repose, they are granted a plenary indulgence.  

To my friend and me, this pilgrimage has become a moment of spiritual rejuvenation, the perfect way to enter into the Triduum. Some of the most profound prayer has come reflecting on Christ’s final moments, waiting there, with him.  

So too has it become a beautiful opportunity to grow in fraternity with my friend. We feel like Christ’s disciples, walking with him towards Calvary. In doing so, we are walking with one another.  

Between each Church, usually a 10-15 minute drive through the dark streets of St. Louis, we chat about life, share what the Lord is stirring up in prayer, and reflect on the significance of this evening. So many memorable, good conversations have happened on those drives, as we journey with the Lord to Calvary.  

And at the end of the night, around 11, when we have visited all seven churches, we finish our pilgrimage with a stop at Waffle House.  

Why? Because the high school versions of us thought it was a great idea to eat one last meal before fasting all day Friday. And what high school student doesn’t love Waffle House?  

For the sake of tradition, we continue to end at Waffle House, where we sit for a while, talking about life and sharing graces from the night. 

These nights have led to some great memories between my friend and me, so too has the Lord gifted me with many powerful spiritual moments on these journeys, I regularly return to themes and prayers I meditated on during past pilgrimages. 

It’s a simple pilgrimage, lasting only a few hours, but it has great power and depth as we wait with the Lord, meditating on his final moments.  

I can’t wait for this year’s pilgrimage to see what graces and moments the Lord has in store.  

By Jack Figge