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Passion play draws more young people in NJ: ‘God would die for us'

PATERSON, N.J. – It's the real-life re-telling of a defining day for Christians around the world. 'It just really widens the perspective,' said Maximo Gaytan, a 16-year-old sophomore at Wayne Hills High School, portraying a disciple of Christ. He's one of many younger reenactors in Paterson's live-action rendition of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday. More Local News 'It's really important that us as teenagers serve as role models and leaders in faith so we can really affect others,' said Gaytan. Leaders of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist say there are more young people involved in the reenactment than last year. 'Some of the teenagers who are in the Passion of the Christ, I've seen them grow here for the past three to five years,' said Eleny Rivera, the church's youth leader. Jamil Sheha, 21, a college student transferring to William Paterson University, is playing the role of the devil. 'It's a hard part to play, said Sheha. ' It makes you feel different. You being a bad person to Jesus, knowing all he did for us, he died on the cross for us, it's hard to do it, but it's a part you have to do.' 'I want the kids, the teens, to know that this is their home and they're important members of the body of Christ, the Church,' said Monsignor Geno Sylva, Rector of St. John's Cathedral. Christians observe Good Friday as the day Jesus was nailed to the cross and died three days before his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Thousands come out to the cathedral every year to witness the power, and at times, brutality. In this City, Good Friday has become more than a day to reflect, but one to experience and share. 'Today's about seeing that it's almost too good to believe – that God would die for us, who are each imperfect,' said Sylva. 'But yet it's not too good to believe. That's why we try to make it so powerful.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.