Stations of the Cross ritual honors homeless
Prayers held at locations around central Phoenix
Catholic leaders carrying a 7-foot cross led dozens of people committed to helping Phoenix’s homeless community on a 2-mile trek through downtown Friday night in a nontraditional version of an Easter season ritual.
The unique take on the Stations of the Cross allowed participants to reflect both on the suffering of Jesus Christ leading up to his death and the daily suffering of those in Arizona without homes.
“Our (homeless) guests carry their cross on a regular basis. Every dang day they’re carrying their own personal crosses,” the Rev. Dan Ponisciak said.
On Fridays during Lent, Christians typically pray at 14 stations marked by paintings or sculptures depicting the events leading to Christ’s death, beginning with Pontius Pilate condemning Christ to death and ending with the burial of his body.
Instead, Andre House, a Catholic soup kitchen, led people on a tour of downtown Phoenix, stopping to pray the Stations of the Cross at locations where homeless people experience suffering every day:
The Arizona Department of Corrections, where homelessness begins for many.
The Arizona Capitol, where politicians often make life-changing decisions about homeless people without consulting them.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office, where the bodies of more than 500 homeless people ended up after they died on the streets last year.
“We’re stopping at places that for many of our guests are an experience of immense suffering, if not death,” said Ponisciak, the executive director of Andre House.
For two decades, Andre House has been leading the downtown Stations of the Cross ritual on Good Friday, the day Christians believe Christ died. The event was canceled last year because of COVID-19 but returned this year with masks and social distancing.
Ponisciak said the goal of the event was to illustrate how Christ’s suffering and crucifixion continues in the plight of his people — most often those who are experiencing homelessness or poverty.
“We walk with Jesus through the spiritual ritual of the stations, but we walk with our guests in everything they go through,” Ponisciak said.
Christ’s suffering, then and now
Ponisciak carried the cross from Andre House to the parking lots that have been transformed into temporary encampments for a few hundred people experiencing homelessness.
As he lowered the cross from his back, people in the encampments peeked out from their tents. Some seemed delighted, others befuddled, by the commotion. A few waved at the Andre House staff, who serve them meals most nights.
A sewage stench carried in the air. Andrew Cece, an Andre House staffer, led a prayer and discussion about the second station: Jesus takes up his cross.
He said that everyone has his or her own cross to carry — “those hidden battles we fight when we think no one is looking.”
But some crosses are heavier then others. The crosses carried by those without homes may be among the heaviest of all.
Cece reminded participants that individuals do not have to shoulder their burdens alone and encouraged them to share their struggles with others, and to help others through their struggles as well.
“Think of our brothers and sisters who carry the crosses of hunger and poverty, oppression and discrimination. How can we help them shoulder their burdens? And what role have we played in perpetuating these crosses of injustice?” Cece asked.
As he finished, the group headed toward the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Moments of healing and peace
The Stations of the Cross ritual memorializes Christ’s suffering but also includes the moments of peace and comfort he experienced as he approached death.
Likewise, the downtown stations included stops at places that provide support and healing to people experiencing homelessness, like Justa Center — a day center for seniors experiencing homelessness — and the Human Services Campus, which houses the largest shelter in the state.
One of the stations recalls when Christ consoled the women of Jerusalem who wept over his impending death.
Ponisciak said that if the guests of Andre House are Jesus, then the staff and volunteers at Andre House are like the women of Jerusalem.
“We see the suffering and are often moved to tears at the injustices and inhumanity of the situation here ... but how will we respond? Will our tears be the only thing shed, quickly wiped away and soon forgotten as the stuff of life clouds our vision once again? Will our tears move us to action?” Ponisciak asked.
These stations, which show the importance of caring for those in crisis, mean the most to Margaret McChesney, she said.
She said Andre House’s Stations of the Cross tour serves as a reminder that Christians are called to care for their fellow humans, regardless of the struggles they are facing.
“We can see the people that (Christ) reached out to in his life — the leper, the poor, the hungry, the disenfranchised, the vulnerable. We have those same people today and they are our family, they are our brothers and sisters, and our journey in life is to reach out,” she said.
“It puts into perspective that you can’t just sit on your sofa and be Sunday Catholics. We’re called to get up and get out and walk the walk.”
‘Darkness ends,’ but maybe not today
The ritual ended at Andre House, with the reciting of the final station: Jesus is laid in the tomb.
Ponisciak reminded the group that although the stations end on a somber note, the suffering is only temporary.
Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead three days after he was buried.
“How many of us are quick to throw in the towel, to say that our efforts to make the world a better place, to bring about mercy, justice and peace, are in vain and hopeless?” Ponisciak asked.
He said that although his organization’s mission to solve homelessness and end poverty may seem impossible, it will someday yield success, just as Christ’s rise from the grave was miraculous.
“The mystery of our faith says that Christ wins; darkness ends. The seeds we plant today will bear fruit tomorrow. Our efforts to love are never wasted,” Ponisciak said.