Chicago parish walks Way of the Cross on Good Friday despite ICE fears
The Brief
St. Jerome Parish in Chicago continues its tradition of reenacting the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, drawing parishioners into a powerful, immersive reflection on Jesus' final hours.
The event is deeply spiritual for both participants and viewers, with actors bringing the Passion to life on the streets.
Despite concerns over immigration enforcement, many undocumented members courageously join the procession as an expression of faith.
CHICAGO - Historic St. Jerome Parish has been doing Via Crucis, or the Way of the Cross, since 2006. It is one of many churches in the Chicago Archdiocese remembering the suffering and death of Jesus on Good Friday.
Parishioners line the streets to participate in the Stations of the Cross processionals taking place across the Chicago Archdiocese.
Members of the church act out the journey of Jesus, who carried the cross to his crucifixion.
The sounds are amplified, so the audience can hear the women weeping as soldiers whip Jesus.
What they're saying
For the actors, it is a moving experience.
Miguel Patino played Pontius Pilate. According to scripture, Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. Patino has played the role for three years, admitting that no one else wants to play the part of the bad guy but he said it is his honor to carry on this tradition.
"It's a Catholic tradition and a commemoration of Jesus Christ, a passion, life and death," Patino said.
They make it realistic so those who are watching will feel something spiritual.
"It's a very moving, very devotional, very prayerful walk from the time we begin at St. Ignatius to St Jerome," Father Noel Beltran Reyes of St. Jerome said.
Dig deeper
This year, parishioners are concerned that federal agents could be looking for undocumented immigrants.
Reyes did warn his community.
"With the current situation of the government right now, I warned them. I told them ICE might be around, there's always a possibility. They said, 'if God permits, so be it.' It's very moving to see them having this kind of faith."
It's a serious test of faith for this diverse congregation and a risk many are willing to take.
The Source
This story was reported from interviews with Miguel Patino and Father Noel Beltran Reyes of St. Jerome.
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