Watch below as the parishioners of Cristo Rey parish in Lansing enact a live Via Crucis – Way of the Cross – through the streets of the state capital upon Good Friday, March 29, 2024.
“Why we do the Via Crucis is because people can be reminded Jesus is our Savior,” says event organizer Ana Maria Cavazos, a Cristo Rey parishioner.
“It’s very important that the kids, the youth, they understand why we are re-living the Passion of the Christ. Each second we can feel how He felt, and that’s very important that the kids can see us. Because when they grow up, they can explain, they can feel, they can get more faith.”
The city's Hispanic parish has performed the public Stations of the Cross for decades. They begin each year upon the steps of the State Capitol in the city center before making their way along a three-mile pilgrimage route to the Cristo Rey Community Center in North Lansing.
“It’s a beautiful, dynamic tradition that we have had for many years at Cristo Rey,” says Father Vincent Richardson, pastor of Cristo Rey.
“And it’s a way where we can, on this special day in which Jesus went to the cross for each of us, that we can walk with Him through the streets of the city where we live.
“We have kids less than a year old that are part of this procession, this tradition, and we have founders of our parish that are also walking with us. It’s a beautiful way for, across generations, to remember the Passion of Our Lord.”