Stations of the Cross with Contemporary Focus

Published on 7 Mar at 8:00 am

RE-ENACTED: Catholic high school students re-enacting the Way of the Cross is a recurring feature of the annual Walk with the Suffering, one of two outdoor Stations of the Cross that will be held on Good Friday, March 29, in downtown San Diego. (Credit: Courtesy Maria Valencia)

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SAN DIEGO — The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross or Via Crucis, commemorate Jesus’ passion and death on the cross.

With many of the nearly 100 parishes in the diocese holding their own services every Friday in Lent, local Catholics have plenty of options. They may also attend one of the two outdoor presentations that are held every Good Friday in downtown San Diego.

The 31^st annual Walk with the Suffering will be held from 8:30 to 11 a.m., Friday, March 29. The 19^th annual Good Friday Pro-Life Stations of the Cross will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. that same day.

The Walk with the Suffering seeks to connect Jesus’ passion with contemporary causes of suffering in the local community, including homelessness, human trafficking and climate change.

Starting and ending at the San Diego Rescue Mission, where free parking will be available, this ecumenical event will include prayers and reflections at various sites.

Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido will lead the Fourth Station. Cristo Rey San Diego High School students, costumed as Jesus and other characters, will re-enact each of the stations.

“It is very important for Catholics and others to be aware of the suffering in our community and to realize that Jesus was no stranger to suffering Himself,” said Rosemary Johnston, longtime organizer of the event.

“Jesus was also someone who responded to the suffering of others in the community … and He invites us to do the same.”

Participants in the Good Friday Pro-Life Stations of the Cross will gather at 11:45 a.m. on the east side of St. Joseph’s Cathedral (4^th Avenue and Beech Street). At noon, they will prayerfully walk to the federal building at Front Street and Broadway, where Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano will lead the Stations of the Cross, before returning to St. Joseph’s.

“While solemnly remembering the passion and death of our Lord, who was innocent yet put to death, we reflect on the deaths of thousands of innocent unborn babies who have died from abortion,” said Roger Lopez, who organizes the event.

“Standing up for the truth in a public setting is not always comfortable,” he added, “but it is the least we can do for the most vulnerable brothers and sisters of our Lord.”

For more information, email jnstn.rsmry@gmail.com for the Walk with the Suffering or Sue.Lopez.Helpers@gmail.com for the Good Friday Pro-Life Stations of the Cross.