HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

Market Square Church

Yesterday was Maundy Thursday. I had no real obligations until the evening, when I sang with the choir at Market Square Church. We performed Morton Lauridsen's setting of Ubi Caritas et Amor, Deus Ibi Est, the translation of which is "Where charity and love are, God is there."

I did go into the church in the morning, however, to perform some of my duties as choir librarian. I checked in on my sister Rachel, who was helping in the church office. She volunteered to walk up to the parking authority near Second and Walnut to pick up the tickets that the church hands out to folks who park in the garage for services.

I asked to go along, and while she got the tickets, I stopped in at a tourism office to check things out. It was run by the downtown improvement agency, and lo and behold, there in one of the brochure racks was a little pack of visitor brochures I had done eons ago for St. Michael Church when I was a member there. Brought back memories.

Scene of sunrise services

There the woman-in-charge invited me to her church's sunrise service in Riverfront Park, at the John Harris grave, at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. Well, I happened to know that our church is having a sunrise service in Riverfront Park, at the John Harris grave, at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. I could just see the headlines on Monday: "Church groups arrested in mêlée over use of graves for Easter service." Naturally, I informed the pastor in charge of the service at Market Square, although I have not heard what's going to happen. It should be fun!

Our next stop was over on Fourth Street at the copy shop where the church's newsletter is produced. Rachel dropped off the original to be copied.Then we went a few doors down to Pasquale's, a sandwich and pizza place, where we got sandwiches for ourselves and for others working at the church. The women ordered chicken salad and the men had turkey. Interestingly, there was a basket of Easter eggs on the counter, made and sold by St. Michael Church. I had just seen some out in Colonial Park at the Catholic Shop! Are they stalking me?

Sniff, sniff

On the way back, Rachel stopped to smell the season's first lilacs, strangely enough looking very beautiful among some straggly plants growing around a blacktopped parking lot on Chestnut Street.

We had a nice conversation over lunch, and then I left to run down to the Historical Society to see the Webmaster about placing some information about an upcoming event on the society's Web site. While there, I walked around the John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion to take some photos of the grounds in springtime. There is always something interesting there to photograph.

Soon I was on the way home, only to return to the church in time for a rehearsal before the service. After the service, there was a second rehearsal of the music for Easter. I left the church about 10:00 p.m. and after watering the palms in the front of the sanctuary, drove up to the roof of the garage and took some photos of Market Square by night, then headed home.

St. Michael Church's eggs at Pasquale's.

Looking skyward through the mansion's

magnolia tree.

Pear blossoms on the tree known to mansion owner

Simon Cameron in the 19th century.

Colorful tulips greet visitors.

 A beautiful date stone from a now-

demolished Harrisburg office building.

View of Market Square by night.