Catholics in Winnipeg gathered at an Arlington Street church on Good Friday before spilling out into the street for the annual public Way of the Cross procession, a tradition some said felt particularly important this year amid unrest around the world.

The event saw parishioners take part in a nearly two-kilometre walk starting at St. Edward the Confessor Parish, pausing along the way for meditations and prayers at each of the 14 stations of the cross: small icons or images representing key moments from the story of Jesus Christ’s condemnation to his entombment before his resurrection.

“Archbishop Murray [Chatlain] said this morning that it’s maybe the darkest day in all of history when Jesus, if we trust and believe that he’s God, that we put him to death,” said Ted Wood, who was among the many who walked in Friday’s procession commemorating Christ carrying the cross before his crucifixion.

“And yet somehow — amazingly, by the power of God — it’s not the end. There’s hope. We look forward to Easter. But you have to move through the darkness to come to the light.”

Wood said in the Catholic tradition of the stations of the cross, parishioners “look at how Jesus takes on the suffering of the world” — something that, for him, connects to world events today.

“We can see in that the suffering that we suffer today, both personally and as a community, as a whole world — all the battles and injustices, the wars — somehow God is with us in all of that and promising us something better,” Wood said.

Father Eric Zadji, the pastor at St. Edward the Confessor, called it a “blessing” for the church to host the annual event for the third time, welcoming everyone from young people to elders. 

Zadji said he was expecting thousands of people for Friday’s procession.

Cousins Laiza Hermoso and Mary Badajos were also in attendance, and said it felt especially meaningful to come this year and declare their faith — something Badajos said she feels “will change what’s going on right now from bad to good.”

Hermoso said she thinks the annual event is “the best time to pause and reflect.”

“Especially nowadays — the chaos over the world, the war — it is the best time to pray and to acknowledge Jesus, that he sacrificed a lot for us. And to strengthen our faith as well,” Hermoso said. 

“In every problem that we are facing right now, God is with us and he loves us.”

High school student Daniel Castillo said Friday’s procession was his first time attending a Way of the Cross event, and he was excited to see how many people came out for it.

“I think it’s just an amazing time and opportunity to get to witness this whole community come together as one on this day,” said the 17-year-old, who attended with his mom and girlfriend.

“And it really just brings us all together, closer, and to honestly witness how big this community truly is.”

The event, now in its 37th year, is hosted by a different parish each year in the Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg, which includes a wide swath of southern Manitoba.