Fr Michael Hishon, of St Mary’s Catholic Church Mosgiel, said about 50 people took turns at carrying a large heavy cross in yesterday’s Walk of the Cross through the streets of Mosgiel, giving them an opportunity to figuratively trace the footsteps of Jesus on his way to sacrifice.
The journey started at the Mosgiel Public Library and ended at St Mary’s Catholic Church Mosgiel.
"During the walk we stopped at different stations along the way, to reflect on the path that Jesus walked with the cross.
"It gave us a small taste of what it must have been like for Him.
"Each individual had an opportunity to carry the cross and there were words shared from the scriptures recalling the scene.
"We became very aware of placing ourselves in that situation and what it might have been like for people there at that time."
Fr Hishon said the historic event continued to have relevance today.
"It’s relevance is more based around the suffering that still happens in the world — that God, through Jesus’s suffering, wants to support us with.
"There’s a lot of challenges out there. It’s the pain of humanity. But we believe with faith and with the love of Jesus, we can be with and support people through these challenges.
"Carrying the cross is very graphic and very relevant for today."
He said the event attracted people from churches across the Taieri and proved to be a "wonderful" opportunity for Christian people in the community to come together.
"We all do it in a different way, but Easter is a unifying event."
Other services were held yesterday, including a "Meditation on the Cross" vigil at Knox Church, in Dunedin, last night. There will be many more Easter services around the city tomorrow, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.
