THE PASSION OF THE CROSS

On Good Friday, April 6th, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, an unexpected cold front hovered over the City of Peterborough, abruptly changing the venue and staging of the annual Youth Way of the Cross. Organized by VEYO youth volunteers, the event was originally planned as an outdoor re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross and was to process through the streets of Peterborough from St. Peter-in-Chains Cathedral at the corner of Hunter and Reid Streets all the way to Immaculate Conception Church in East City. In view of a 2 km walk in temperatures well below 0, which would have been for those who acted as for those who attended a rather icy experience, it was decided at literally the last minute to  remain indoors and re-enact the Stations inside the Cathedral. 

About 500 people witnessed a very passionate re-enactment of the 14 Stations of the Way of the Cross as the youth transformed the sanctuary around the altar into the ‘Via Dolorosa’, the ‘Way of Sorrows’, in Jerusalem where to this day thousands of pilgrims walk those very same streets which Jesus walked at the time with the cross on his shoulders. Accompanied by meditative Taizé music and the striking sounds from the movie “The Passion”, faithful in the Cathedral were awestruck by the dramatic display of Jesus’ final hours. The script for the Stations was written by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, just a few weeks before he succeeded the late Pope John Paul II as Universal Shepherd of the Church.

Especially the last four stations, which depict Jesus’ dying moments, his death on the cross and his burial, were a striking demonstration of what it must have been like at the time. Twelve soldiers were seen raising an 8 foot 300 lbs. cross, set up to one side of the altar, and an exhausted-looking, bruised and anguished Jesus was heard stammering his final words to his Mother and his disciples. Those words sounded eerily realistic and how could they not? They were not meant just for those by-standers at the time, but for people of all ages who come face to face with the crucified one and there on the cross see the beginning of their salvation, their new life in Christ.

While it was somewhat disappointing not to have gone in procession and taken our faith to the streets as in previous years, it might have been providential to have stayed inside. For once, many more people were able to watch and see the performance. But also, a large number of children and young people were able to get right up close and became practically part of the final scenes with soldiers nudging them – gently - out of the way as the body of Jesus was taken down from the cross, laid in the arms of his mother and finally wrapped in a shroud and carried out.     

Over 35 young people participated as actors in this year’s Way of the Cross and a good number of youth from other Christian denominations came forward to participate either through music, reading or helping behind the scenes with all the logistical details involved. Three different music groups and many individual singers were part of the event with music ranging from scared polyphony, Taizé to contemporary Praise & Worship.  In the end, Bishop De Angelis, those attending as well as the local media remarked how moving and convincing a performance these young people gave. They made the passion of Christ real and believable, because it was real and believable to them.