CALGARY – For some, Good Friday is just a day off work, but for others it’s a day set aside to commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Christians from across Calgary gathered for the 29th Annual Outdoor Way of the Cross to walk in solidarity through city streets, with stops for scripture readings and singing of hymns at 14 locations on route.
“It reminds me of when Jesus Christ took his suffering for all of us,” said parishioner Anna Maria Kappelhoff.
The two-and-a-half hour procession began at 18 Avenue S.W., proceeded through Mission and the city’s Beltline neighbourhoods before winding back to its starting point.
“We were visiting the hospital where we remember the sick,” said Rhea Castillo.
The history behind the Way of the Cross stretches back centuries, to when early Christians traveled to locations in Jerusalem that were of great significance in the life of Christ.
Christians make up 55.8 per cent of Calgary’s population, according to Statistics Canada, and this event sees around 3,000 participants each year.
“I love it, it’s just the peace and the quiet, out here with people, praying silently,” said Linda Hay.
With files from Stefan Keyes
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