Passion Comes Alive in Traditional Via Crucis

Thousands of area Catholics will take to the streets for the traditional Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) processions on Good Friday, March 29 in remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion.
 
Noon-4:00 p.m., Tri-Lingual Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) in Takoma Park/Silver Spring, MD (largest event in area)
Starting Point: Our Lady of Sorrows, 1006 Larch Ave., Takoma Park
Ending Point: St. Camillus, 1600 St. Camillus Dr., Silver Spring
 
More than 2,000 people will walk three miles from Our Lady of Sorrows to St. Camillus in commemoration of Christ’s walk to His crucifixion while a living Stations of the Cross are re-enacted on a flatbed truck along the route. The events will be in Spanish, English and French, reflecting the growing diversity of Catholics in the region. Route: north on New Hampshire Ave. to Wildwood Dr. to University Blvd. to 14th Ave., then across New Hampshire Ave. to Northampton Dr. to St. Camillus. (Info: Sharon Perez, 301-434-8400)
 
Noon-3:00 p.m., Via Crucis in Riverdale Park, MD
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, 5700 St. Bernard Dr., Riverdale Park
 
More than 1,500 parishioners, including children, will re-enact a living Stations of the Cross in costume in the church parking lot, then process down 56th Ave. to Hamilton St. to Edmonston Rd. to Emerson St. to 55th Ave. and back to the church along 59th Ave. in commemoration of Christ’s walk to His crucifixion. At  7 p.m. there will be a blessing in Spanish at the church. (Info: Father Carlos Reyes, 301-277-1000)
 
1:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Via Crucis in Silver Spring, MD
St. Michael the Archangel, 805 Wayne Ave., Silver Spring
 
Approximately 800 parishioners will walk through the streets to commemorate Christ’s crucifixion. The procession will begin at St. Michael, move down Wayne Ave. to Colesville Rd. to Fenton St. and back to the church for a 3:30 p.m. Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion will be in Spanish. (Info: Edwin Mendez, 301-589-1155)
 
2:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m., Via Crucis in Washington, DC
Starting Point: Our Lady, Queen of the Americas, 2200 California St., NW
Ending Point: Cathedral of St. Matthew, 1725 Rhode Island Ave., NW
 
Nearly 200 Latino Catholics will “walk in the footsteps of Christ” to his crucifixion at Mount Calvary as they wind down Connecticut Avenue. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, will greet the people on the steps of the Cathedral of St. Matthew at approximately 3:45 p.m. as the participants arrive for a Spanish-language Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and Veneration of the Cross. The Liturgia de la Pasión de N.S. Jesucristo will be celebrated at 4:00 p.m. by Most Rev. Francisco González, S.F., Auxiliary Bishop of Washington.
6:00 p.m., Via Crucis in Mount Rainier, MD
St. James, 3628 Rhode Island Ave., Mount RainierMore than 350 parishioners will walk through the streets re-enacting the Stations of the Cross. They will begin their walk at Thomas S. Stone Elementary School on 34th Street and walk for 45 minutes, returning to the church for a 7:30 p.m. Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in Spanish. (Info: 301-927-0567)
 
6:30 p.m., Drama of the Passion of Jesus (Spanish); 8:30 p.m., Multicultural Outdoor Prayer Procession
Shrine of the Sacred Heart, 16th St. and Park Rd., NW, Washington, DC (Start: Parish’s Gavan Center)
 
Parishioners from the Shrine of the Sacred Heart will hold a Passion Play dramatizing the death of Christ, then walk through the streets of their neighborhood in an outdoor procession to honor Christ Crucified and the Sorrowful Mother. Prayers and songs will be in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese. The procession will begin at Sacred Heart, move up Park Rd. to Irving St. to 14th St. to Park Rd. and back to the church. (Info: Fr. Moises Villalta, 202-234-8000)
 

The Archdiocese of Washington is home to over 620,000 Catholics, 139 parishes and 97 Catholic schools, located in Washington, DC and five Maryland counties: Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s.