Weather changes Arlington Hts. tradition

A traditional re-enactment of a holy and historic Middle Eastern event became one of the last casualties of a long, harsh Midwestern winter Sunday.

Lingering cold caused parishioners at Mision San Juan Diego Catholic Church in Arlington Heights to scale back their annual procession from St. Thomas of Villanova Church in Palatine, which recreates the Palm Sunday arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem the week of his death.

Instead, Pastor Juan Bosco Jimenez opened the Spanish-language Mass on the small ridge just outside the church, where the reenactment of the crucifixion usually occurs.

After the blessing of palms and Gospel reading, he led a procession that included the young actors in their robes and headdresses as well as all the attendees of the noon Mass in a march around the car-crowded parking lot and into the church.

Attendance of the popular event was barely affected by this compromise, with additional cars parallel parked as far as the eye could see in either direction along Wilke Road right beside Route 53.

Daniel Reyes, director of the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, re-enactment, said it's very rare for the church to allow weather to affect the event. But the severity of this winter along with early Palm Sunday this year caused him to make the call nearly a month ago.

"It's not a disappointment, but people expect us to be on the street," Reyes said. "This year we're doing it inside, but it'll be more meaningful. People will be more focused on what we're doing inside and taking moments to reflect."

Nevertheless, Reyes was hearing pleas in recent weeks from some members of the rapidly growing congregation to carry on with the outdoor event as usual. Still, considering the number of young people who'd be involved with the nearly mile-long trek, he held his ground.

"It's safety first," he said. "We have to be reasonable here."

While March has shown some improvement from earlier frigid temperatures, Sunday's blue skies were accompanied by a chilly wind and low 40 degree temperatures not very reminiscent of spring.

The popularity of Palm Sunday and Holy Week services -- drawing congregation members from as far away as Chicago, Rockford and Wauconda -- make even clearer the need for expansion at the Spanish-language church, finance council member Gabriela Valencia said.

The church had 1,500 families when it moved from Palatine to its present location five years ago. Today, there are 4,000, she said.

While the Arlington Heights facility was always seen as a stop-gap measure, it's been a surprise just how quickly it's been outgrown, Valencia said.

The single corridor of the building takes about 10 minutes to empty the sanctuary after a Mass. The transition of the parking lot from one group to another causes a nearly 45-minute delay to the noon service.

The church already is working with an architect and looking for a minimum 10-acre site, Valencia said. The current site is 3 acres, which is about how big the next building alone will need to be, she said.