Stations of the Cross come alive on streets of Media
MEDIA >> As Easter Sunday will mark the end of the Holy Week, which started on Palm Sunday and relived the final seven days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Good Friday saw the faithful take to the streets in Media.
Members of the congregation at Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary Parish at 30 E. Franklin St. walked through the 14 Stations of the Cross, which begins the night when Jesus prayed with his disciples and continues through His betrayal, crucifixion and ultimately when he is laid to rest in the tomb.
The Rev. Edward H. Bell carried the 7-foot tall cross, assisted by Nativity BVM Deacon Bill Kussmaul and Pastor Service Director John Blisard. They led more than 180 people through downtown Media Friday.
“What we were able to witness today was something wonderful,” Bell said.
What began as a gathering of around 75 people at noon outside Nativity BVM grew as folks joined in the quiet and respectful walk — escorted by Media Borough police officers — as the procession led up South Jackson onto State Street and by the county courthouse before returning to the point of origin.
Stella Kavalkovich of Media, who often cooks food at the rectory, said this was a tradition she has upheld every year. In her shoulder bag was her small dog, Buddy, 8, who blissfully and calmly towed along without complaint.
“This march is common to the faithful. We bring our Easter to the glorious world,” Kavalkovich said.
“This march is common to the faithful. We bring our Easter to the glorious world. It’s wonderful that people decided to join in. There’s often a forgotten deep-sated religious background that people forgot to uphold.”
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“It’s wonderful that people decided to join in. There’s often a forgotten deepsated religious background that people forgot to uphold.”
Chiara Cardone, 29, the coordinator of the Youth & Young Adult Ministry at Nativity BVM, said she was uplifted by the number of adults in their 20s and 30s who participated Friday.
According to Pew Research, 79 percent of those who leave the church do so before they turn 23. Through her work, she hopes to find new and different ways to connect with young people during those transformative years.
“Young adults want to see people that look like them, the same clothes, the same concerns, and I think that young people in church don’t think the parishioners understand them,” Cardone said. “They hold onto solitude.”
What she hopes to teach, is that “faith is not confined to church or a belief.”
“Faith doesn’t exist without action, we want to bring it into the bars and into rec leagues,” she said. “It’s vital to survival. The future of Catholicism isn’t in church.”
Cardone holds meetings called “Theology on Tap” which once a month focuses on a different topic. Next Thursday at Quotations Bar in Media, the discussion will focus on mindfulness, asking if it is a new trend or an ancient tradition. this illusion of It begins at 7:30 p.m.
To Deacon Kussmaul, who lightly assisted in carrying the cross for much of the journey, said it wasn’t so much about bringing “Catholicism to the streets,” but rather attracting individuals to the faith.
“This is about bringing faith and loving into a world that increasingly lacks God,” Kussmaul said, recalling one year where parishioners were upset that the Stations of the Cross was held indoors because of inclement weather.
“They wanted to do in the rain, that’s how devoted they are,” he said.