Way of the Cross walks were held world-wide on Good Friday. The event honors Jesus’ journey of carrying the cross before he was crucified.
In Saskatoon, those of the Christian faith gathered outside of the Court of Queen’s Bench on Spadina Crescent to reflect on the meaning of his sacrifice before the walk.
“It’s a really important time because it has a lot of meaning, truth and beauty attached to it. It’s not just a normal day for Christians, that’s what we hope to communicate through this walk,” organizer Myron Rogal explained.
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Participants sang and prayed through downtown, stopping at 14 stations to connect the suffering and injustices of the death of Jesus to modern day.
“It’s an event where we look at different injustices that we see in our world today from damage to the environment and poverty to the pain of not belonging and racism,” said Rogal.
Amanda Dodge is a community legal assistant at CLASSIC, which helps provide free legal services to the inner city. She spoke at one of the stations about increasing awareness for the need of social justice and supporting those who need it the most.
“There are so many people facing legal problems in our community because of systemic inequities like poor housing and insufficient income, social and health support. It leads to conflicts with the law,” Dodge explained.
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For Cathy LaFleche, the walk provides an opportunity to express her faith through helping others. She spoke on behalf of Saskatoon Pregnancy Options Centre.
“We can take and take and take, but it’s so much more gratify to help those in need, addressing justice issues and those who’re all alone. Nobody should have to go through life alone. We’re all in this together,” LaFleche explained.
The walk ended with a lunch at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where money was raised for an inner city parish to help those in need.