RIVER RIDGE, La.– By car, by, bike, and by foot—this Good Friday, Catholics are making a 3-mile pilgrimage to honor the Stations of the Cross in this River Ridge neighborhood.
“We started it last year when New Orleans was on lockdown for Coronavirus. We started it just as a way to get everyone in the community reflecting on the suffering of Jesus as we were all suffering through the coronavirus,” Emily Stricker said.
Stricker organized the Stations of the Cross in front of 14 homes in her neighborhood. She says last year over 1,000 people visited the Stations of the Cross.
“We printed signs with each one have an image for the individual stations. We took old fence boards and just made a cross with a purple sash on it,” she said.
At each of the Stations of the Cross, Catholics read the story and then said a prayer.
“It is unbelievable to see everyone celebrating their faith visibly in our community. It is such a beautiful sight,” Stricker said.
Devout Catholic, Pat Smart says she knew this was how she needed to spend her Good Friday.
“To me this is one of the silver linings of the pandemic. I’m able to walk around and reflect what Jesus Christ did on this solemn day,” Smart said.
After a tough year, she’s now reflecting on being grateful.
“The blessings and the fact that I’m still here. Members of my family had COVID, but we all survived,” she said.
Neighbors say they plan on continuing to do the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday in future years.