Annual Way of the Cross procession draws hundreds in Selkirk on Good Friday
Event was 1st for newly appointed Archbishop Murray Chatlain, who saved some prayers for the Winnipeg Jets
Parishioners crowded into Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church in Selkirk, Man., spilling into an overflow section, before starting a chilly Good Friday procession for the annual Public Way of the Cross.
The church's pastor estimated 1,000 people gathered Friday morning before taking part in the two-kilometre walk to commemorate Jesus's carrying of the cross before his crucifixion.
Most were dressed in parkas on an unseasonably cold day of –2 C, which felt more like –10 with the wind chill.
"In bearing the cross, we also recognize the crosses that we carry in our own lives and how significant it is to relate this day in thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us," said Father Gerald Langevin, the pastor at Notre Dame.
The procession, which took about 90 minutes, paused at each of the 14 stations of the cross — small icons or images that represent key moments from Christ's condemnation to his entombment — for readings and meditations.
"The words of scripture and the meditations will lend themselves to a deeper experience in their faith," Langevin said about the parishioners taking part in the walk.
The event is hosted by a different parish each year in the Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg, which includes a wide swath of southern Manitoba.
This year marked the 36th walk and was the first for Archbishop of Winnipeg Murray Chatlain, who was appointed to the position in December.
"I really appreciate the number of people that have come out, and the spirit of prayer and reverence is edifying," Chatlain said following the procession.
"I think it's a beautiful sign of people looking for help and support and peace in our world, so the prayer for our world is strong."
Chatlain said he also hopes some of those good wishes can be directed on a far more local scale.
"I think we want to pray for the Winnipeg Jets a little, too," he joked, as the NHL team is set to begin its playoff run on Saturday.
Friday's walk was also just the second time the archdiocese has held the event outside the city of Winnipeg. The first time was the 2019 walk in Portage la Prairie.
"As a Catholic diocese, we're much beyond the Perimeter [Highway], and so we need a balance of recognizing the rural and the urban and to support each other," Chatlain said.
Langevin, who hosted the Portage la Prairie walk in 2019, said when he raised the idea of holding it outside the capital city, even he was unsure it would work.
"[I] wondered if it would be possible to do it. I know some concern was expressed at the time that the numbers would be less," he said.
"But as you can see around you … Good Friday is profound for Christians across the world."
The event in Selkirk was a co-operative effort between several parishes from the Interlake region of the diocese.
"We have 10-plus parishes that have representers that will both carry the cross as well as share in the scriptures and the meditations today," Langevin said prior to the procession.
This year's theme was from Matthew 16:24: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."
With files from Gavin Axelrod