Way of the Cross brings community together to celebrate Mary

People from across the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle gathered at Toronto last Sunday for the Way of the Cross.

The annual tradition, also known as Stations of the Cross, dates back to the 12th century. It invited people to come together and pray during one of the great devotions of our faith tradition.

This year’s event saw attendees journey the Way of the Cross through creative retellings of Mary’s story.

Fourteen women from across the Diocese and other Christian communities were tasked with taking on the role of Mary and sharing her story through their eyes.

It’s been a tradition for our Diocese to gather with other Christian churches each year for Way of the Cross, making it an ecumenical event.

Reverend Melanie Whalley from the Toronto Anglican Church said it was an honour to be part of the occasion.

“It’s wonderful to have different churches and people coming together with different life experiences to enact the voice of Mary in this tradition. The Catholic Church has been doing this for many years now and it is wonderful for everyone to come together,” she said.

Another attendee who played Mary, Dianne Langham, added it was a great opportunity to journey with each other.

“I am participating in this as an Aboriginal person, in our culture we have a lot of liturgy and a lot of celebration of ritual, and in that ritual we learn [about] our faith and our spirituality,” Di said.

“I think this is important for everybody here, especially the young children.”

The prayerful experience was supported by our World Youth Day pilgrims, our school communities, and Bishop Michael Kennedy.

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