San Juan Diego's dramatic Good Friday play not for squeamish
Commuters on Route 53 may have been startled to see a 16-foot cross being raised just off the highway Friday afternoon.
The cross was part of the annual Passion of Christ, performed in dramatic fashion every Good Friday by Misión San Juan Diego Catholic Church.
The cast is drawn from the parishioners of Misión San Juan Diego in Arlington Heights, which is the only Catholic church in the Northwest suburbs that conducts its services entirely in Spanish.
The procession started at the steps of St. Thomas of Villanova School in Palatine. Roman soldiers beat and whipped Jesus, played by Luis Malagon, placing the crown of thorns on his head and wrapping him in the purple robe.
Pontius Pilate, played by Ciro Torres, symbolically washed his hands and left Jesus' fate to the crowd.
San Juan Diego has done a live procession for the past 12 years.
"People say we do it so real that people can feel it, the love for Jesus, the hate for Jesus, and the passion for Jesus," said Daniel Reyes, who has directed the Passion at Misión San Juan Diego for eight years.
The soldiers dragged Jesus down the street, as a rapt crowd of over 1,200 followed the procession. At the Stations of the Cross along the route, the procession stopped for the Rev. Juan Bosco Jiménez to read from the Gospels over loudspeakers.
Malagon struggled to bear the cross, weighing over 120 pounds, dragging it over a mile to Misión San Juan Diego. Fake blood poured down his face, and wounds representing the flagellation of Jesus covered his back.
The most technically impressive feat during the procession was the raising of the 16-foot cross. With Malagon tied to the cross, more than half a dozen men helped raise the cross to an erect position. Some uncostumed assistants had to help due to high winds.
"We had 1,200 to 1,500 people here today, and the weather really helped us out," said Reyes.
People sang along as the procession moved down Anderson Drive, and at the crucifixion, the crowd dropped to its knees in prayer.
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