What can I do in Caravaca after finishing my pilgrimage?
We head to the Parroquia de (Parish Church) de El Salvador (or the church designated for the group of pilgrims), where the Jubilee estación will be held at 11:15 a.m. A priest or deacon will receive us, and, after a brief welcoming prayer, direct us to the Basilica. At this time the pilgrims, arriving in the city on the different paths, all begin their ascent to the Basilica, together. We will enter through the entrance known as the Puerta de San Lazaro, and attend the Pilgrim's Mass at noon, after which we will able to receive a solemn blessing and behold the Most Holy and True Cross.
After lunch and a well-deserved rest, we will meet up at 5 pm at the parish church of El Salvador to begin the pilgrim's Way of the Cross (Via crucis) to the Basilica, followed by adoration of the Cross; only from Monday to Friday. On the first and third Saturdays of each month, at 6:45 pm there will be a torchlight procession around the walls of the Basilica and subsequent adoration of the Cross.
Pilgrims who wish to remain in Caravaca for two or three days, complementing their pilgrimage with other experiences related to their encounter with the Holy Cross, have the opportunity to experience what we have come to call "At the foot of the Cross" (Al pie de la Cruz).
Pilgrims are offered three possibilities for reflection in the afternoons during their days in Caravaca, pending a request submitted to the Vera Cruz de Caravaca Confraternity:
Catechesis on the mystery of the Cross. Behold the Wood of the Cross
Catechesis: Mary at the foot of the Cross.
Catechesis: John the beloved disciple and the Carmelite Mystics.
