A large crowd formed at Sagrada Familia Church on Cleveland’s West Side in anticipation of the annual Good Friday procession through the streets.
Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost joined the procession this year and presided at the two-part Passion liturgy that was celebrated at St. Colman and St. Michael the Archangel churches.
The group filled the worship space at Sagrada Familia, spilling out into the gathering area and the social hall/gym where the Carpets of Holy Week were located. As the procession formed, the bishop led other clergy, seminarians and the faithful as they walked across the carpets, outside through the parking lot and onto West 77th Street to Franklin Boulevard. As they walked, people prayed silently, sang and began reciting the rosary.
(See photo gallery above.)
They marched behind a large Eucharistic Revival banner. In addition to the bishop, participating priests included Father Francisco (Paco) Garnica, CSJ, Sagrada Familia pastor; Father Caroli Shao, AJ, St. Colman pastor; Father Mark Riley, St. Michael the Archangel pastor and Father Damian Ference, vicar for evangelization. There also were deacons, men in diaconal formation, seminarians and faithful of all ages from infants to senior citizens.
Behind the clergy was a young man portraying Jesus and others representing various people from the era including his mother Mary, holy women of Jerusalem and others. A life-size statue of the crucified Christ was carried throughout the procession as was a statue of Mary, Jesus’ mother, dressed completely in black.
Cleveland police escorted the procession as it proceeded through the streets on the way to St. Colman, where the group quietly filed into the church, joining many others who awaited their arrival. The faithful nearly filled the large church before the clergy processed in and the first part of the Passion liturgy was celebrated, including St. John’s Gospel relating the Passion.
Bishop Woost’s homily was delivered in English, with his master of ceremonies, Saint Mary seminarian Jeffrey Lindholm, translating it into Spanish.
“’I thirst,’ Jesus said from the cross,” the bishop said, recalling the Gospel that told the story of Jesus’ Passion and Crucifixion. “But he thirsts for more. He thirsts for our love. He thirsts for our lives. How can we satisfy the thirst of Jesus? By coming here today and showing him that we also thirst for him.”
He said walking in the procession, showing Jesus that we need his prayers, by adoring his cross and later by feasting on him when we receive him in the Eucharist are all ways to help satiate his thirst.
“Let us come to him and satisfy his thirst. He thirsts for you and for me. Let us satisfy the thirst of Jesus,” he added.
After the first part of the liturgy concluded, the procession resumed and walked through the streets to St. Michael the Archangel Church, which was filled to overflowing with the faithful. There, the second part of the liturgy was celebrated, including the veneration of the cross. After it concluded, some of the faithful remained to pray while others departed quietly.