Lina Cruz, 38, was among the more than 1,500 faithful walkers who participated in this year’s East Harlem Good Friday Procession that began at Saint Frances De Sales Church on East 96th Street, with brief stops at other East Harlem Catholic churches, and ended at St. Paul/Holy Rosary Parish on East 117th Street.

“This is my third year participating in the procession; it is a good way to show our children the importance of Good Friday,” Cruz, a parishioner of St. Ann-St. Lucy Parish told The Good Newsroom after a prayer service that followed the procession. “It is important for us adults to do this, to teach the children the significance of this day.”

The married mother of five said her Catholic faith has played a very important role in her family life. St. Ann-St. Lucy, East 110th Street, was among the several church stops of the procession.

The bishop’s message

Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishop Edmund Whalen, vicar for clergy, participated in the Spanish-language procession and led the prayer service at St. Paul/Holy Rosary Parish, the last stop of the procession. The packed service was standing room only.

“Because you did that, you brought Jesus to El Barrio…This is part of who you are; this is part of your identity,” Bishop Whalen, speaking in Spanish and English, told the Hispanic faithful in commending them for the public expression of their strong faith. “This is God asking you to lead others to Jesus. And you can do it because you did it today.”

He added, “And because you did it today, you brought hope to El Barrio. This is not just cultural. This is our identity as Christians. Thank you for being leaders; thank you for giving us hope…Don’t lose it, don’t forget it. Don’t leave it behind, because in this crazy world with wars and difficulties, you are called to carry the cross.”

In addition, the bishop noted the importance of walking with Mother Mary, who leads us to her Son, the Light of the World. “We pray to Our Father in Heaven,” the bishop said in introducing the Prayer of the Faithful, which included: for the faithful, “that through the passion and death of Christ, we reach the glory of the Resurrection.”

Father Alejandro Garcia, IVE, pastor of St. Paul/Holy Rosary, gave closing remarks of gratitude to Bishop Whalen and to all who participated in the procession and the service, who included other East Harlem clergy, deacons, and nuns.

A volunteer’s dedication

Carlos Peña, 73, was serving as a volunteer at the prayer service when he told The Good Newsroom, “This is a blessing to me, to help here today and always; this is my parish. The words from the bishop were great; he said everything that had to be said, and he’s bilingual. It was perfect. Everything turned out as we expected, as we had hoped.” Peña is a married father of four.

Good Friday in the Catholic Church is a solemn holy day recalling the arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus Christ. It is a day of deep reflection on Christ’s sacrifice for humanity’s salvation, marked by fasting, abstinence, and the veneration of the cross, occurring on the Friday before Easter Sunday.