SFDS Commemorates Stations of the Cross for Good Friday

By Katie McFadden

On Good Friday, April 3, parishioners of St. Francis de Sales Church gathered on the boardwalk to reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ with the Stations of the Cross.

Good Friday is a solemn Christian holiday observed on the Friday before Easter, commemorating the crucifixion, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. It is a day of prayer, and reflection on Jesus’ sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life.

The Stations of the Cross are the 14-steps that commemorate Jesus’ last day on earth, from his condemnation to death, to his crucifixion, to being laid in the tomb. Each year, St. Francis de Sales Church holds a ceremony on the boardwalk to read out each step while carrying a cross. This year’s ceremony, starting on Beach 126th Street on the overcast afternoon was led by Father Jim Cunningham and Father Bill Sweeney, who rode along in a “pope-mobile” which carried a sound system for the ceremony, as more than 100 parishioners followed behind.

Photos by Katie McFadden.