Suburban Christians mark Good Friday with dramatic Via Crucis
Palatine's split-level homes stood in for the walls of Roman-occupied Jerusalem on Friday, as a re-enactment of the public procession from Jesus Christ's trial to his crucifixion and death walked through the suburban streets.
A local Good Friday tradition, Mision San Juan Diego's Via Crucis - or Way of the Cross - began on the front steps of St. Thomas of Villanova Church in Palatine. The procession went east on Anderson Drive to the San Juan home church in Arlington Heights.
The Via Crucis, once held only in Little Village and other Hispanic neighborhoods in Chicago are now seen more frequently in the suburbs as well. They mark the beginning of the holiest days on the Christian calendar, culminated in Easter Sunday.
Police SUVs cleared the path for centurions on horses. Three prisoners sentenced to death struggled under the weight of their wooden crosses, passing the crowd of onlookers that included both actors in costume and a few hundred members of the present-day audience.
Despite the rowdiness the re-enactors were occasionally called on to exhibit, the rest of the crowd was admonished to be respectful of both property and the gravity of the event.
"This is a moment of prayer, not theater," the presiding priest said.
The re-enactment paused for Scripture readings and prayers at each of the Stations of the Cross - with their application to modern lives described alternately in Spanish and English.
When the procession reached Mision San Juan Diego, the drama reached its climax. Jesus and the two criminals executed with him were nailed to crosses, suffered and died.
Carmen Barroso of Schaumburg brought her three children, including 11-year-old Aldo Mondragon, who is preparing for his first communion at St. Thomas of Villanova.
"We wanted to see how Christ was crucified," young Aldo said afterward. "It was very inspiring and it helped us become better people."
Rosa Lucero of Beloit, Wisconsin came down with the friends who brought the horses used in the re-enactment.
"It's beautiful," she said of the performance. "It's a miracle."
The trip also allowed her to meet up with another friend, Maria Luna of Chicago.
Luna has seen many Via Crucis re-enactments in Chicago and her native Mexico. What sets the Mexican ones apart is they really strive to capture the grisly reality of Christ's suffering, she said.
Meanwhile, in Hanover Park, more than 1,000 members of St. Ansgar Catholic Church gathered in the church parking lot Friday to watch a re-enactment of Jesus's final hours.
The actor portraying Jesus stood trial in front of parishioners, and then picked up the wooden cross he would carry barefoot down Laurel Avenue and Church Street.
Worshippers walked alongside and behind him singing hymns. Residents watched from the sidewalk, and some joined in.
People dressed as Roman soldiers whipped and taunted Jesus throughout. Others dressed as angels and Jews followed close behind.
The procession ended in a grassy area near Church Street and Walnut Avenue where Jesus' crucifixion was re-enacted.