For more than two decades, the parish community of St. Peter the Apostle in Reading has transformed the streets of the city’s south side into a sacred stage where faith walks in step with crucified love.
On a spring day blessed by sunshine, with a gentle breeze and warmth above 75 degrees, hundreds of hearts came together in prayer, contemplation, and penitential songs. Entire families came out to encounter the suffering Nazarene, walking together the road to Calvary—not in haste, but with open minds and reverent hearts.
Around 35 actors, dressed in tunics and Roman soldier uniforms, brought to life the scenes of the 14 Stations of the Cross. It wasn’t theater—it was living liturgy. It wasn’t acting—it was surrender, an echo of boundless love that continues to touch the streets and the hearts of people who do not forget the suffering of their Savior.
“The living Stations of the Cross is the parish liturgical event with the most participants. And people participate literally beside and behind the Cross. A Cross! It is a visual reminder that the Cross and Christ’s mission are inseparable, just as Christianity and the Cross are inseparable,” declared Monsignor Thomas J. Orsulak, Pastor of St. Peter’s Church.
Upon returning from the Stations, the faithful gathered in the church to participate in the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, where the Word was proclaimed and the crucifixion and death of Jesus on Golgotha were reverently portrayed. During this sacred moment, those present had the opportunity to venerate the Cross—a sign of Christ’s supreme love—approaching one by one to kiss it, pray, or offer a silent gesture of gratitude.
The celebration concluded with the distribution of Holy Communion, offered as spiritual nourishment that sustains our Hope in the Resurrection even amid suffering.
Monsignor William T. Baker, Parochial Vicar of Saint Peter’s, centered his homily on the virtue of Hope: “Without a doubt, there are many aspects of the mystery of the Cross that we can meditate on. Today, I focus on one: Hope. Pope Francis says that Hope finds its highest witness in the Mother of God. In this Jubilee Year, focused on Hope, we consider Mary, the Mother of Hope.”
“When we need Hope, when we enter the night, she is near. Mary experienced several nights in her life—even the supreme night—the death of her Son. She shows us how to Hope, not with naïve optimism, but with trust in God and in His plan. She is our model of Hope in the Lord.”
Marcos Cisneros, narrator of the Stations of the Cross, also spoke of this central theme of Hope. He said: “Hope is the attitude that enlarges our hearts. Let us keep going and ask for the grace of a living Hope—Hope that teaches us to be patient. Remembering that the Lord is near and that death will never, ever have the final word. Let us continue our pilgrimage in Hope until we reach that ultimate encounter with Him.”
Jesus was portrayed by Isaías Urbina, who has played the role for several years. He shared that it has fulfilled him deeply to play this role ever since Sister Marta Muñoz, Superior of the House of the Poor Sisters of St. Joseph, invited him to participate. “It moves me deeply, especially when I think about how people might be touched by seeing the way Jesus was mistreated. When I’m portraying Jesus, I can’t see the crowd as I walk—but I’ve been told many times that people cry.”
Urbina also shared that one of his biggest motivations for participating is knowing that the Stations of the Cross are a powerful way to evangelize. “My daughter’s boyfriend, who’s 18, came with us, felt inspired, and now he says, ‘If you ever need someone to play a soldier, I’ll do it.’”
Monsignor Orsulak thanked Sister Marta Muñoz for the overall direction of the project, as well as her collaborators, the participants, and the city police’s traffic division for their commitment in carrying out this form of popular evangelization—bringing the Gospel to the streets of our neighborhood and the “South of Penn” area in Reading.
Photos by Waldo Alvarado.
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