Cathedral parishioners re-enact the Passion of Christ on streets of Paterson on Good Friday

PATERSON  After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here, once again brought to life Jesus’ final hours with their presentation of the Way of the Cross on April 15, Good Friday. The annual tradition in the city included a procession through the streets of Paterson, which concluded inside the Cathedral.

Under sunny skies, thousands filled Grand Street between Main and Hamilton Streets to watch Jesus, portrayed by Yuri Rosenthal, on trial. His Blessed Mother, portrayed by Genesis Balarezo, wailed as the Roman soldiers were scourging him.

Joining in the procession was Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who walked along with the more than 1,800 people who gathered along the city streets to witness the re-enactment of Christ’s Passion and Death to commemorate the actual events of Good Friday. The procession started at St. John’s, processed onto Grand Street, then up Mill Street, then two blocks west on Slater Street and then down Main Street, returning to the cathedral. After the Way of the Cross, a Good Friday service was held, presided at by Bishop Sweeney, with veneration of the Cross and the reception of Holy Communion by the faithful.

For Rosenthal, who played Jesus previously, portraying Christ is something he said he does with great pride but it is also something he does not deserve to do. “It’s a pleasure to participate with the cathedral community and do this in Paterson and bring Jesus’ Passion to life,” he told The Beacon.

Balarezo said she prepares to play the Blessed Mother by praying the rosary, but said even with that preparation, it is never enough. “It’s definitely an honor to play her,” she said.

Hector Jimenez has served as director of the production for a decade and believes it is an important way to evangelize by showing what Jesus did for the salvation of humanity. “I feel extremely lucky and proud to be part of this ministry. Before there was the written word, this is how the Church taught — through the living stations,” he said.

Almost 70 lay people were involved in the Living Stations at the cathedral. Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of the Cathedral, said, “It was such a blessing to our community to have Bishop Kevin with us for each movement and step. Our volunteers, under the direction of Hector Jimenez, have been rehearsing since January so that no matter the role he or she played, the stages that they built, the costumes that they made, the narration that they read, the set up that they prepared, or the music that they sang, all was said and done to bring people to the power and the liberation of Christ crucified. From the streets to the windowsills all were drawn into the enveloping love of Divine Mercy that defeated sin and death from the wood of the Cross. And all those who worked so hard each week, we became ever closer as a parish family in faith.”