Carrying their crosses in Jesus’ footsteps

4 May 2007

As part of the Easter Week celebrations St Francis de Sales Parish in Island Bay, joined local Presbyterian, Baptist and Anglican congregations to re-enact the Way of the Cross on Good Friday.

The crowd that joined the procession wanted to witness the event to the community by silently walking through the streets and up to their ‘Mt Calvary’.

While it was a magnificently warm and sunny Good Friday, the walkers finished their commemoration by sharing hot cross buns and hot drinks in the St Francis de Sales hall.

On Good Friday morning St Francis of Assisi parishioners in Stoke, Nelson, were joined by other local church people from the Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist churches to walk and quietly witness together in an ecumenical procession. One parishioner made a simple cross which was carried to each stop where participating church leaders presided over a reading or hymn. Over 60 people took part and the walk ended with hot cross buns and the handing over of the cross to the Methodists who will lead next year’s procession. It was a brilliantly sunny morning and lots of connections were made on the journey around the local Christian churches.