by Eryn Moris

Beginning Ash Wednesday, March 5, many area Christians began observing the season of Lent in preparation for Easter. Lent is the 40-day holy period before Easter during which Christians reflect upon their lives and repent for their sins. In liturgical churches, one of the most common ways to commemorate the suffering and death of Christ is through the Stations of the Cross, which are reflected upon each Friday during Lent in many Catholic churches. Each of the 14 stations signifies an event that occurred during Jesus’ march to death at Cavalry on Good Friday. A person making the Stations of the Cross will go to each station and pray and meditate about the particular event in Jesus’ life which is depicted. On Good Friday, many people in the Catholic community participate in the Via Crucis, a parade through the streets between Catholic churches that re-enacts and commemorates the death of Christ and marks the end of the holy week. The Via Crucis observance will occur here in Riverwest on April 18, beginning at noon at St. Casimir on the corner of Bremen and Clarke Streets. A 30-minute dramatic presentation depicting Jesus’ arrest will be followed by a march through the streets, with 13 stops to depict each remaining Station of the Cross. The procession will move down Clarke Street west to Booth, then turn and move south to Wright Street and then west to Holton. Finally the participants will march south to Brown, ending at St. Francis Parish. Nearly 1000 people are expected to participate in this event. Another larger Via Crucis parade will occur later that afternoon, at 3:30 p.m. Good Friday. Between three and five thousand people are expected to participate in a march down Mitchell Street between St. Vincent de Paul on S. 21st St. and St. Stanislaus on S. 5th St. The Via Crucis is not limited to members of the Catholic community, and people of every faith are welcome to participate in one or both of these events. For more information please contact Pedro Martinez at 414-769-3393. Riverwest Currents – Volume 2 – Issue 4 – April 2003
by Eryn Moris