The weather was cold, dry and overcast as several hundred faithful gathered at midday Good Friday at St. Michael the Archangel Church on Scranton Road in Cleveland for the annual procession.
Temperatures hovered in the mid-30s at noon as Bishop Nelson Perez said the opening prayer.
Led by a contingent of Cleveland police cars, an honor guard comprised of Knights of Columbus followed several altar servers as the procession formed on Scranton outside St. Michael?s Church. Bishop Perez, Father Mark Riley, St. Michael?s pastor; Father Rob Reidy, Sagrada Familia pastor; and Father Caroli Shao, St. Colman pastor, along with parishioners and others, fell into place as the procession began to move.
A life-size statue of the crucified Christ was carried on a bier followed by a second bier carrying a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary clothed in black. A young man dressed in a white robe with a red cape and a crown of thorns portrayed Jesus as he carried a wooden cross in the procession.
Another wooden cross was carried by a group of men.
Flags of the United States and several other nations, including Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela and Chile were carried in the parade. A hearse from Craciun Berry Funeral Home and more police anchored the end of the procession.
Marchers of all ages from toddlers to senior citizens chanted, recited the rosary, sang religious songs and prayed or marched silently through the streets as onlookers watched and traffic stopped to allow the procession to pass.
The procession travelled on Scranton around the church and turned onto Clark Avenue where it proceeded until it reached West 41st Street. The route continued on West 41st to Lorain Avenue, then onto West 65th Street, where it turned and headed to St. Colman Church.
Participants lined the church steps as the two biers and crosses were carried into the church. The statues of Jesus and Mary were placed carefully in the front of the church and the priests prostrated themselves in front of the altar before Father Shao began the liturgy of the Lord?s Passion.
The procession resumed after the liturgy and travelled to Sagrada Familia Church, where marchers filed across the carpets of Holy Week
