Calgary Catholics gather for Way of the Cross at St. Mary’s University

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Amid the hum of snow sweepers and nearby traffic, Calgary Catholics returned to a historic tradition on Good Friday at a new location — the second time it’s done so in as many years.

About 1,000 of the city’s faithful gathered at St. Mary’s University in southeast Calgary for the two-hour Way of the Cross procession, winding through the private catholic university’s campus. Despite the sub-zero temperatures and fresh layer of snowfall underfoot, few complaints were uttered between the 14 stations of the cross leading to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.

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The approximately two-hour procession recounted Christ’s sentencing, torture and execution, with worshipers meditating and recounting events from the day. The mobile operation saw volunteers wheel around speakers on small blue wagons, while the choir rushed from station to station ahead of the several hundred faithful attendees in tow.

The ritual is a cornerstone of Easter weekend, recognizing Christ’s death prior to his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

“It’s amazing how I enter into it — I find that as I’m walking amongst the people, sometimes in silence, I’m praying, but I know they’re praying as well,” Calgary Bishop William McGrattan said after Friday’s ritual concluded.

The sombre outdoor event treaded new ground on Friday, the second time in as many years it has been held at a new location. Last year’s was held at Our Lady Fatima, a 27-year-old Portuguese parish in the Foothills Industrial Park.

That came after decades of Good Fridays spent walking through the Beltline near St. Mary’s Cathedral, where it had been held since the late 1980s. Way of the Cross organizers since January have been seeking a new location for the event, which returned last year after three consecutive cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Daryl MacDonald, the diocesan representative for the Calgary chapter of the Knights of Columbus, said last year’s Way of the Cross shifted locations because “we hadn’t gotten our act together, primarily.” MacDonald was one of the leading organizers of this year’s Way of the Cross.

MacDonald said they may have found their permanent location at St. Mary’s, but that won’t be decided for some time, he said. McGrattan said several people approached him after Friday’s event complimenting the route, even despite slippery footing due to snow that landed overnight.

“Maybe if this location works, we’ll consider it,” he said.

McGrattan told Postmedia earlier this week the diocese hoped to have the procession back in central Calgary next year.

Good Friday is often a day McGrattan uses to reflect on events both close and far from home, he said, particularly in areas experiencing heightened levels of suffering.

“There are many areas in the world where there’s violence and strife,” he said. “And I think today is a day in which we need to be reminded and pray for those people who are facing circumstances that are very much a cross, very much being persecuted.”

mscace@postmedia.com
X: @mattscace67

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