Carrying Cross to Honor Sacrifice

Alvon Watson was ready for a religious and emotional experience Friday when he hoisted the 8-foot-tall wooden cross over his shoulder and led a spiritual procession down Garden Grove Boulevard.

“I got a good feeling knowing I was depicting the same thing Christ went through,” Watson said of the Good Friday reenactment of Jesus’ final walk. “I felt the weight a little bit.”

Watson, 53, of Buena Park and more than 200 others gathered to participate in the traditional cross walk, which took them through the final events in Jesus’ life. After reciting prayers at St. Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church, the group began a 2 1/2-mile trek. The procession included stops in three churches, and a recitation of the 14 events leading to Jesus’ death known as the “Stations of the Cross.”

“This is a way to emphasize the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of all humanity and come together as Christians of all denominations in unity,” said Father Wilfredo Benitez, rector of St. Anselm, of Friday’s walk.

The walk, which symbolically begins with Jesus’ condemnation and concludes with his entombment, is a Catholic tradition that has gained popularity with other churches in recent years, Benitez said.

Good Friday marks the day Jesus was crucified; Easter, two days later, celebrates his resurrection, according to the Christian Bible.

Dorothy Parker, a 76-year-old member of St. Columban Catholic Church, said she has participated in the traditional walk in years past and was anxious to participate when the tradition was revived this year. In addition to St. Anselm and St. Columban, walkers stopped in Garden Grove United Methodist Church and the First Presbyterian Church of Garden Grove.

“This is to revive the realization of what Jesus did for us, and is also a message to the community that this is a time to reflect,” Parker said.

Ann Nguyen and her two children shared the burden of the 20-pound cross when they took a turn carrying it from St. Anselm to St. Columban. It was 7-year-old Tam Nguyen’s idea to walk with the symbol, his mother said, “and we were all very happy to be able to do that.”

On one of Christianity’s holiest days, participants were asked to walk in silence and reflect.

“This brings celebrations and answers to God’s promises,” 37-year-old Cathy Danahy said of her experience. “It gives you a chance to reflect on your sins; it brings them forward. The hardest part is looking deep within yourself and this gives you a chance to do that.”