The Way of the Cross runs along Grand Street

By Alberto Gilman
Posted 4/19/22

Parishioners of St. Patrick’s Church gathered together on the morning of Friday, April 15 to participate in the live procession of the Stations of the Cross heading into the Easter weekend.

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The Way of the Cross runs along Grand Street

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Parishioners of St. Patrick’s Church gathered together on the morning of Friday, April 15 to participate in the live procession of the Stations of the Cross heading into the Easter weekend.

Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday, is a holy and special day in which Christians from all over the world observe and commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The Stations of the Cross in Christian traditions, is the series of events leading to the death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. In various Christian communities, parishioners may choose to retell the story through a live adaptation of the events that occurred on that day.

For about three hours starting at 10 a.m., City of Newburgh residents took part in the live bilingual procession with prayers and songs offered in both English and Spanish for those gathered.

The procession began on Grand Street in front of St. Patrick’s Church, made its way up along Broadway and crossed onto Liberty and other various City of Newburgh streets. At several houses and locations along the procession, the group performed the various Stations of the Cross in order, with a reading from scripture and prayers associated.

The procession returned to the St. Patrick’s parking lot, where the parishioners portraying soldiers prepared Jesus to be hung on the cross. As he was hung up on the cross, Jesus spoke to his mother Mary, the crowd and the two criminals that were crucified with him. He prayed for all those gathered before breathing his last breath and dying. Jesus was then taken down from the cross and prepared for burial. His body was then taken to the tomb and thus the ceremony concluded with parishioners making their way inside the church to pray for the remainder of the afternoon.

Parishioners Michele Rivera-Armstrong and Margaret Marie Sanchez both reflected on returning after several years of not being able to participate in this procession due to the pandemic. “It’s really fabulous to be back doing this again,” Marie Sanchez said.

“God wants love and love is people, and community and church,” Rivera-Armstrong said. “Jesus is definitely love.”

Sister Clemencia Butetsi of the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary also reflected on the procession and spoke on the importance of today for Christians. “I feel so blessed. I feel very happy because he [Jesus] did all that for me and for all my brothers and sisters,” Sister Butetsi said. “I was moved during the procession. Seeing young people, children, elderly, and the sick with wheelchairs following up the journey that Jesus took for us. Jesus is here for you.”

Good Friday services were held later that day at St. Patrick’s in both English and Spanish for the city residents and other community parishioners.