New Haven Independent

Over a hundred members of Sacred Heart Church, on Liberty Street in the Hill, processed through the streets on Friday, re-enacting the Stations of the Cross. The community of churchgoers has been putting on the annual event for two decades at three different churches. Now the archbishop is looking to close their current church and merge their parish yet again, which could throw a roadblock across their Good Friday procession.

At 1:30 p.m. behind the church, a group of over 100 stood on Portsea Street waiting for the coming of the Lord. The crowd included Roman soldiers holding whips and spears, prisoners preparing to be crucified…

… and a number of women in Biblical dress, including a Mary, in blue.

Jesus appeared at the rear door of the church and was escorted through the crowd to his place at the head of the procession. His face speckled with blood, Jesus wore a crown of thorns, a long white gown with a red sash, and designer slip-on sneakers.

The scene was narrated in Spanish and English from a white van outfitted with a loudspeaker. As the group began to walk, parishioners sang songs in both languages.

Every few blocks, the procession stopped to re-enact another Station of the Cross. Through bilingual narration, each stop provided an opportunity teach a lesson about contemporary life through the lens of the biblical story.

When Jesus fell to his knees, the churchgoers were reminded to forgive themselves when they fall.

When he was helped to his feet, the churchgoers were reminded to help each other.

The procession drew Hill neighbors to their porches and windows and out onto sidewalks…

… to watch and take pictures as Jesus walked by.

Parish leader Alonso Villegas walked at the very front of the procession, telling the van when to stop and start and giving direction to a police escort.

Villegas said that the church community has been putting on the annual Good Friday stations of the cross for about 20 years. They started at St. John the Evangelist, then were merged with St. Peter’s Church, and moved to Sacred Heart in 1996. Now, Villegas said, the archbishop wants to close Sacred Heart this year.

Villegas said the church has been told that they will merge with St. Anthony’s church, just a few blocks away, but he wasn’t sure that would happen.

The church leader couldn’t predict what would happen when Sacred Heart closes, or whether the annual procession would continue.

After an hour of slow marching through the streets, the procession returned to Sacred Heart church, where the final Stations of the Cross were acted out.