It is a Good Friday tradition that has brought large crowds to New Jersey’s third-largest city for more than a decade. This year, an estimated 2,500 attended.
A bilingual journey through Paterson showing the Stations of the Cross — also known as Via Crucis or the Way of the Cross — began at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at 12:30 p.m. Friday. It proceeded along city streets, starting around 1:30 p.m., before returning to the cathedral by 3 p.m., officials said.
The reenactment focuses on Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion. It typically includes 14 images, or scenes — starting with Jesus being condemned to death, and concluding with his body being placed inside a tomb. Participants often stop at each station to say a prayer and reflect.
Friday’s event, organized by the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, included actors from the church recreating Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and death.
“We can know intellectually that Jesus suffered and died because He loves us and forgives us for our sins, but to ‘see’ and feel all that he endured engages us at the level of the heart and on an emotional level,” said Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson.
The diocese serves Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties.
Stations of the Cross events were also held Friday in many locations in New Jersey. They included large and small events, both inside and outside.
In the Archdiocese of Newark, Catholic school students were taking part in Stations of the Cross events, officials said. The archdiocese serves Bergen, Union, Hudson and Essex counties.
In Jersey City, parishioners from every downtown parish were participating in a Stations of the Cross procession from the PATH train statin on Grove Street to the waterfront.
The event at the cathedral in Paterson has been taking place for about three decades, said Hector Jimenez, a cathedral trustee and director of the event.
It began inside the church on a much smaller scale before moving to the church’s gymnasium about 14 years ago, he said. By that time, approximately 900 to 1,000 worshippers were showing up to participate.
A few years later, the decision was made the bring it to the streets. A crowd of 4,500 was counted one year, he said.
Jimenez said he first participated in the Stations of the Cross while attending a university in Puerto Rico. He portrayed a Roman soldier.
“We know what happened during the Passion of Christ, but to act it out or experience the reenactment like this gives it special meaning. Can you imagine the suffering Jesus went through? He sacrificed his life for us so that we might have life while knowing what he would experience, and yet he freely gave himself,” Jimenez said.
Stories by Rob Jennings
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.