By Katie Vasquez
Good Friday is the most solemn day of the year for Catholics, as they remember Christ’s crucifixion. Hundreds of faithful followed those footsteps, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in a procession meant to mimic Jesus’ final steps.
They walk with purpose, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in a procession that they feel brings them closer to the Son of God, by reliving his sacrifice.
“It’s us walking with Christ. It’s sort of a symbolic call, the heart to not only believe what he says, but also to do what he did, like take that walk with our crosses in a physical sense, not only just spiritually. we live it out in our lives,” said Holy Family Church parishioner, Noel Guzman.
The morning started with prayer at the Cathedral Basilica of St James with Brooklyn’s Bishop Robert Brennan, New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and the Greek Orthodox church’s Archbishop Elpidophoros of America joining together for the Good Friday service.
“Well, we’re working toward unity. This is something we’ve been working for centuries toward, and the celebration of the common date of Easter, the shared date of Easter, is a great sign of that, and our walking with Christ on this journey,” said Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Spencer Bell learned of the Way of the Cross from Bishop Brennan last week at a Holy Hour, and knew it would open his heart more to Jesus.
“What He went through, to sacrifice Himself for us as, like a master, as a father figure. it’s just inspirational and we’re able to look at Him and be able to kind of give ourselves to others in the same way He did to us,” said Bell, who is parishioner at Mary’s Nativity-St. Ann Church in Flushing, Queens.
There was quiet prayer as people walked more than a mile behind the cross, allowing the faithful to focus on the reason for the Easter season.
“Well, how about silence? Silence is good on Good Friday. Que viva la cruz de Cristo. We adore thee, Oh Christ. and we praise thee because by thy holy cross thou hast redeemed the world,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York.
“When you take the time out of your day to focus on Christ, these things, whether it be small or big like this, you take that, you run the risk of getting closer to. That’s a beautiful risk because then you change for the better,” said Guzman.
Good Friday is the only day that the Catholic Church doesn’t celebrate Mass, because Catholics believe it is a day of mourning rather than joy. There are still services held, including a reading of the Gospel, veneration of the cross and distribution of Holy Communion, but the eucharist is never consecrated on Good Friday.