Cuasimodistas: The Catholic Cowboys of Low Sunday in Chile

Today is Low Sunday and here is a fascinating account of Low Sunday in Chile.

From Canticum Salomonis

Low Sunday traditionally marked the close of the fortnight wherein the faithful must fulfill their obligation to receive Holy Communion at least once a year.1 According to the ancient discipline, believers were obliged to receive this Easter Communion in their parish of residence, and from the hands of their parish priest (or another priest expressly delegated by him), that the sheep might know their shepherd. 

In the 18th century, the Central Valley of Chile was sparsely populated and, apart from the small colonial capital of Santiago, entirely rural. Indian raids, moreover, were not uncommon, rendering the roads dangerous for travellers and pilgrims. As a result, the custom arose that on Low Sunday, the parish priest himself would take the Blessed Sacrament to the sick unable to brave themselves to church that day, accompanied by an escort of huasos, as Chilean cowboys are known. 

The priest of the parish of St Louis Bertrand in Pudahuel carries the Blessed Sacrament to his parishioners, flanked by cuasimodistas, 1954.

Soon, such a multitude of the faithful took up the practice of accompanying the priest in his round of the parish each year that these trips became true Eucharistic processions, celebrated with all due pomp. Today, it is one of the biggest religious festivals of the year in central Chile, with about 100,000 taking an active part. It has come to be known as the fiesta de Cuasimodo, from the Introit of the day’s Mass, Quasi modo geniti infantes, from the first epistle of St Peter, “As newborn babes desire the rational milk without guile.”

To bring the rational milk that is the blessed Sacrament to all those who desire it, the cuasimodistas gather early in the morning at their parish church. Out of respect for the Sacrament, they exchange their usual cowboys’ hats for a kerchief, and their ponchos for a shoulder cape, probably designed in imitation of the humeral veil worn by the priest. This kerchief and cape form the special uniform for the day, and they are especially made by the womenfolk. After Mass, they set out to visit the bed-ridden of the parish, whose names have been duly taken down beforehand. 

Cuasimodistas in Renca.

The priest rides in a ceremonial carriage sumptuously decorated with flowers, and the homes of the sick are also bedecked with ornaments to honour the divine guest who is to visit them. The clangor of bells, songs, and cries of ¡Viva Cristo Rey! herald His approach, and all kneel in adoration as the priest enters the house. The sick then receive Holy Communion; many of the moribund expend their last efforts to see this holy day, that they might receive their Lord one last time before drawing their final breath. 

A carriage prepared to carry the priest bearing the Blessed Sacrament on Quasi modo Sunday.

Despite the dramatic fall in church attendance in Chile in the bungled aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, and the extension of the time to fulfill the Easter Communion to encompass all of Eastertide, the feast of Quasi modo continues to draw large crowds to this day of people who otherwise rarely attend Mass. Local authorities lend their support as well, and the Sacrament receives the adoration of local police and firefighters who line the way of procession. A large luncheon interrupts the procession after midday; thereafter it often continues late into the evening, as the priest ensures he visits the homes of all who need him. 

Procession in Colina.

Unhappily, on account of the pestilence, the Archdiocese of Santiago has cancelled the procession this year for the first time since its inception. 

A short documentary in Spanish on the feast of Quasi modo is available on YouTube, with automatically-generated English subtitles:

Notes

1 Cf. the bull Fide digna, promulgated by the Most Holy Lord Eugene PP. IV on 18 July 1440. Through the new Code of Canon Law, the Lord John Paul PP. II extended to the universal Church the permission to fulfill the Easter obligation as late as Whitsunday.