This past Good Friday, March 25 th , a few hundred people witnessed a remarkable event taking place in the streets of the city of Peterborough : 26 young people re-enacting the passion and death of Christ in a way that was incredibly realistic, moving and convincing. The local news media agreed saying that “the conviction and somber performances of the actors drew hushes and awe from the crowd” which followed the procession from the Cathedral down Hunter Street through the center of town to Immaculate Conception Church in east city.

When we first started thinking about the idea of a passion play back in early January at our regular Youth Office meetings, we really had no idea what lay in store for us. Somehow it grew beyond what we had expected or envisioned. All we had wanted to do was to re-enact some scenes from the last few hours of our Lord's life on earth. T hen, the Holy Father, the author of our script, made our mission clear: “The way of the Cross is not simply a journey to a place of execution. We believe that every step of the Condemned Christ, every action and word, as well as everything felt and done by those who took part in this tragic drama continues to speak to us.” This passage summed up what we were to do: to present the passion of Christ as something real , something that, while historic, stretches beyond the boundaries and limitations of space and time.

Over a period of 8 weeks we worked hard on every aspect of the event. The amount of preparation, rehearsals, costumes, music etc. was overwhelming; but the experience of working and praying with a talented group of actors and a committed group of young Christians was inspiring. We decided to go with the traditional 14 Stations of the Cross and to re-enact one scene at a time on each of the intersections of the 2 km procession route. The script chosen was the one written by the Holy Father for the Jubilee Year 2000 which was also used at Toronto 's World Youth Day back in 2002. Weekly or bi-weekly practices in different parish halls helped the actors become familiar with their roles and get more and more into their characters. Costumes were rented and made as authentic as possible with props of all kinds. Music was added for each Station and for the procession in between intersections. Youth groups from around the Diocese were asked to lead the procession carrying the Diocesan Youth Cross. Bishop De Angelis was most supportive and promised he would go with us all the way. People were good enough to help us with the logistics offering their trucks to transport sound system and other supplies. The city and police were contacted to open the streets for us and to stop or re-direct traffic along the way. And most importantly, a 300 lb. cross was put together by some dedicated people in Courtice, carefully engineered, so that it could be raised, then and there, in front of the crowd showing the “body of Jesus” for the final Stations. In the end, it all came together, slowly but surely, assisted by the prayers of literally hundreds of people across the Diocese who prayed for the success of the event. And what a success it was!

It started with a brief prayer service in the Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains, led by our Bishop Nicola De Angelis. The Church was full beyond our expectations. At about 10:30 am the play started on the steps of the Cathedral with the first scene: Christ's condemnation by Pilate. Once started, the young people stayed in character for the following 3 hours, not distracted or hindered by the crowd that had joined them. As the procession wound its way through the city and stopped at each intersection, people were coming out of their homes or looking on from their windows or balconies. It was amazing to take our faith out onto the streets and to allow people to see it, literally watch it unfold, in a different setting. And it was even more amazing that the whole idea came from some of the young people themselves. Their uncomplicated willingness to go out there and show the world what we believe was refreshing; “a breath of fresh air” as one woman put it. Once the procession arrived at Immaculate Conception Church , people could be heard gasping as the 16 foot cross was slowly raised up in front of their eyes and Jesus actor, Jeff Graham, made the final moments of Christ's life incredibly real. People sobbed and cried; and when he “breathed his last” the hundreds gathered went down on their knees in the dirt of the street, visibly moved by what they had witnessed and by what it represented.

Following the Way of the Cross Bishop De Angelis briefly addressed the crowd and thanked the young people for challenging us to make our faith visible and be proud of it. A simple lunch was served in the hall of Immaculate Conception Church, followed by a time of music, reflection and youth witnessing. People gave their first impression of what they had seen, and comments ranged from “overwhelming” to “inspiring”. Some said that they would never walk through downtown Peterborough the same way or that the streets of Peterborough were made holy that day by these young people and by what they did. People returned home in time for the regular 3 pm Good Friday Service in their parishes, and we hope they did so with a deeper appreciation, as Jeff Graham said, “of what Christ went through for each of us.”

Every Good Friday is a day to remember; this one will be remembered, as one youth put it, “for years to come.” If people do, not for what we did but for why we did it, we achieved our goal and we give thanks to God for all those who made it possible. Happy Easter!