‘A way to celebrate everyone’s beliefs’: Stations of the Cross return for area’s Christian faithful

Written by Mori Kessler
April 15, 2022

ST. GEORGE — Late Friday morning, around 150-plus people of faith gathered at Sandtown Park in St. George for the annual Stations of the Cross event for the first time since 2019.

During the 2022 Stations of the Cross interfaith event held on Good Friday in St. George, Utah, April 19, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

The event is generally held on Good Friday of the Christian Lenten season to commemorate the journey of Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion over 2,000 years ago.

The Way of the Cross, also known as the Stations of the Cross, is observed by Roman Catholics the world over and retraces the path taken by Jesus Christ through Jerusalem to his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. In St. George, it has become an interfaith event shared among area Christians for the last 16 years.

2019 was the last time the event was held outdoors due the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no procession in 2020, and a virtual Stations of the Cross event was streamed online from the St. George Catholic Church in 2021.

“It’s marvelous,” Father Dave Bittmenn said of being able to experience the event outdoors again. He came to St. George shortly before the pandemic hit and was unable to participate in how the event typically was held in the community.

While people gathered in Sandtown Park, the procession officially began at the corner of 700 North and Diagonal Street. Each station was marked by a small painting on a stand that depicted an aspect of  Christ’s journey to his own crucifixion.

During the 2022 Stations of the Cross interfaith event held on Good Friday in St. George, Utah, April 19, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Bittmenn was the first to read passages of scripture giving detail to what Christ experienced at the first station. The reading was accompanied by a short prayer, followed by those gathered beginning to sing lines from the hymn “Were You There.” The cross then was carried to the next station with the singing continuing between each stop as the process of readings and prayer repeated along the way.

Readers at 11 of the 14 stations this year featured ministers and representatives of the St. George Interfaith Council, along with a member of the Baha’i faith who participated in the event.

“For us it’s especially unique,” said Tim Martin, a Latter-day Saint member of the St. George Interfaith Council. “It is an ecumenical Way of the Cross and very unique that we would have all these religions participating in the walk.”

The St. George Interfaith Council brings various Christian and non-Christian faiths together for the benefit of those faiths and the community overall as it seeks to foster a spirit of unity and cooperation while also respecting the diversity of belief had among them. The St. George Catholic Church and other Christian faiths are represented on the council, along with representatives from the local Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Baha’i faiths.

During the 2022 Stations of the Cross interfaith event held on Good Friday in St. George, Utah, April 19, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

The Rev. Jimi Kestin, of Solomon’s Porch Foursquare Fellowship, repeated words shared with St. George News in 2019 that he believes the inclusion of other Christian faiths in the Stations of the Cross is unique to St. George and an example of the fellowship enjoyed among the area’s interfaith community.

Roman Catholics aren’t the only ones who believe in the religious traditions behind Easter and the events leading up to it, said Bittmenn, adding he was happy to see other believers take part in the procession.

“It isn’t like Catholics are the only ones who believe in the cross and death of Christ and his resurrection,” he said. “This is just a way to celebrate everyone’s beliefs.”

The procession continued down Diagonal Street until 200 West. From there the crowd headed south and ultimately ended up in the western parking lot of the St. George Catholic Church.

“It’s very special for all of the community and very special to be untied with all our brothers and sisters from (other) Christian denominations,” Jose Hernosillo, a member of the Catholic faith, said at the event’s conclusion.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mori Kessler serves as a Senior Reporter for St. George News, having previously contributed as a writer and Interim Editor in 2011-12, and an assistant editor from 2012 to mid-2014. He began writing news as a freelancer in 2009 for Today in Dixie, and joined the writing staff of St. George News in mid-2010. He enjoys photography and won an award for photojournalism from the Society of Professional Journalists for a 2018 photo of a bee inspector removing ferals bees from a Washington City home. He is also a shameless nerd and has a bad sense of direction.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @MoriKessler@STGnews

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