Cross walk through Duluth gives the crucifixion meaning

By: Jana Hollingsworth, Duluth News Tribune

A trail of 50 worshipers followed two men carrying an austere, wooden cross across the grounds of the College of St. Scholastica on Friday.

Members of Duluth's Catholic Communion and Liberation group organized the Way of the Cross re-enactment to observe Good Friday. The procession went from St. Scholastica to the University of Minnesota Duluth - where more participants were expected to join the group - then on to the Cathedral of our Lady of the Rosary, with stops to pray at the 14 Stations of the Cross along the way.

The stations commemorate key events from the day of Jesus Christ's crucifixion .

"The Passion of the Christ is more meaningful if you actually participate in the walk," said Mary Starkman, who was cantor of the event. "If you act something out, you kind of put yourself there. It really makes you think, ‘What did Christ go through?' "

This was the sixth time the group has performed the Way of the Cross, a nearly three-hour walk. Other branches of the organization in cities such as San Francisco, New York and Boston had their own walks, said Sharon Mollerus, who helped organize the one in Duluth.

To her, Good Friday means preparation for Easter.

"Since I was a kid, it was always a really important day to remember," she said. "Easter is not just bunny rabbits and chocolate eggs. It's a time when we recall what Christ did."

Duluthian Kris Cook was participating in the procession for the fourth year. She said it helps her think about what happened in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago and what it means today.

"Something happens for me when I go on these walks," she said. "It stays with me. It's another level of my faith." Caption: Nick Stokman of Crosby, Minn., holds a cross in front of a group of people during a stop at the College of St. Scholastica while executing the Way of the Cross on Friday afternoon in Duluth. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com)
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