St. Augustine Catholic Church will hold a virtual Stations of the Cross throughout Washington, D.C. to draw attention to various social justice issues. The Stations of the Cross will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Good Friday, April 2, 2021. Everyone is welcome to view the livestream of the Stations of the Cross on St. Augustine’s YouTube page.
The Stations of the Cross is both a reenactment and a reminder of the struggle that Jesus Christ went through on his way to crucifixion and his ultimate resurrection. There are 14 “stations,” each depicting incidents that took place as Jesus carried his own cross to Mount Calvary, the site of his execution. Through the virtual Stations of the Cross, the audience will connect Jesus’s struggle to the daily struggles of today. Each virtual station will be connected to a social justice issue such as homelessness, affordable housing, access to healthcare, mass incarceration, racial injustice and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The virtual Stations of the Cross will incorporate the real lived experiences and challenges that people go through on a daily basis,” said Father Patrick Smith, pastor of St. Augustine Parish. “These are difficult times for many people. Our hope is that all who participate will be inspired by the fact that Jesus walks in solidarity with us when we carry our crosses. Our God is a compassionate God, and compassion literally means ‘to suffer with.’”
Founded in 1858, St. Augustine Parish is the mother church of Black Catholics in the nation’s capital. The parish describes its mission as “to witness our faith in the living God: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit while preserving our Black Catholic heritage. As a strong community of believers, St. Augustine Catholic Church continues in the tradition in which it was founded: to advance the education of our children; lead all people to a personal and life-changing encounter with Christ through the proclamation of the Gospel; celebrate the sacraments with prayer and service; and promote the spiritual, economic, and social development of all people.”
