Christians from across Prince Albert gathered at City Hall on Friday for the Stations of the Cross, a 14-step devotion that commemorates the life of Jesus in the days leading up to his crucifixion.
Good Friday was honoured in Prince Albert with the Good Friday Outdoor Way of the Cross beginning at City Hall. The event followed the journey of Jesus Christ on his last day.
“It’s an important tradition for the diocese to take this time on Good Friday to be out here, to just reflect on the Good Friday experience of Jesus, his death and suffering.” said Christine Taylor, the Director of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert and one of the event organizers.
She explained that it is to recognize that there is still suffering in the world.
“Which is Christ suffering in the people, right? So how are we so reflecting on that and praying for that and praying that we will become merciful and compassionate witnesses of God’s love in the world.”
She explained that this is the message of Easter.
“To help us recall so that we can witness the message of Easter,”
The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station.
At each station, the group recalled and meditated on a specific event from Christ’s last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete.
She said it is a time of reflections on where Christ is being crucified.
Bishop Stephen Hero was the first reader (and last reader) at City Hall for the Stations of the Cross in Prince Albert on Good Friday.
People prayed outside the Salvation Army as the Stations of the Cross made its way through downtown on Good Friday.
The Stations of the Cross began at the steps of City Hall with a reading from Bishop Stephen Hero of the Diocese of Prince Albert.
Bishop Stephen Hero explained that the Stations of the Cross date back to the church in Jerusalem.
” And so it’s especially appropriate at this time of the year as we come close to Easter and so on Good Friday especially. It’s beautiful to be able to kind of remember Christ’s gift of himself for us as we walk around our city, to help us to live his life in our daily life, I think that’s so here, right here and it’s not something, it’s just a spirituality separate from our life, but that really try to follow him, be good to others in our daily life. So kind of walking through the downtown of Prince Albert, it’s very powerful,
The walk then made its way up Central Avenue to the Salvation Army.
There were over 50 people in attendance for the walk.
The next stop was at the former SLGA downtown Liquor Store before heading to the Prince Albert Food Bank. The next stop was outside a church building before it made its way to the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre. The next stop was the Multicultural Centre followed by the Medical Arts Building.
“Each stop is significant. So we’re praying for the social justice issues that the church notices. So the migrants, the people who are needy, who are homeless, who are the immigrants that we’re praying for, truth and reconciliation we’re praying for Christian Unity we’re praying for the people in prison, we’re praying for the youth, so we’re just praying for all the places where we need to be showing Christ compassion,” Taylor said.
They prayed for reconciliation outside the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, prayed for people suffering with addictions outside the former liquor store, prayed for restorative justice outside the courthouse and prayed for youth outside the PAGC Urban Services Centre.
“And the locations somewhat symbolise what we’re praying for,” Taylor said.
The walk then made its way to outside the Gateway Mall before going to the Margo Fournier Centre. The next stop was the Provincial Court and then the next station was the University of Saskatchewan.
“There are lots of places in the city, but downtown really encapsulates them all,” Taylor explained.
The final station saw the walk return to the Cenotaph at City Hall where the prayer was to become instruments of peace in the world.
Taylor said having the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday was special and the event has become an ecumenical tradition.
Taylor said that the Way of the Cross predates her hiring by the diocese.
” They’ve been doing this over 20 years with a pause during the pandemic,” she explained.
