Way of the Cross-2008: Springfield Illinois

Stations of the Cross


Cemetery Outside of St. Bonaventure University


Diane Lopez-Hughes

I observed the Good Friday Services at the Cathedral in Springfield. The service was moving. The music was beautiful, the liturgy was familiar and I felt in touch with Catholics and other Christians around the world. However, it is what I did earlier that really made it feel like Good Friday.

At noon I met with an interdenominational group across the street from the State Capitol Building and in front of the Supreme Court Building. This was the 20th annual Walk for Justice. The walk or The Way of the Cross-2008 was a walk around downtown Springfield. We stopped at strategic buildings or landmarks. For each of the 14 stops or Stations we connected the Passion of Jesus with social justice issues we as Christians should be concerned about. It was very touching.

The program stated:

Good Friday is much more than
Re-living the passion of Jesus;

It is entering into solidarity with the passion of
All people of our planet,

Whether in the past,
The present,
Or in the future.

In Jesus all human suffering is collected.

The broken heart of Jesus
Is the broken heart of God.
The broken heart of God
Is the broken heart of the world.

Henri Nouwen

And…

The duty of every Christian is to take Jesus off
The cross where we find him.

John Sorino, S.J.

This was a great group of people. It included a Franciscan sister, members of different Christian denominations and a Franciscan Associate. The Associate, Diane Lopez-Hughes was a very friendly woman who is a member of Pax Christi and JustFaith. When I met my mother-in-law she asked if I had met any peace activist who was recently released from jail. She was talking about a woman who she had met, who knew her son, a woman who had been arrested twice for trespassing on federal property to protest the Schools of the Americas. Turns out it was Diane! This is a small world.

This group welcomed me with open arms. Before I knew it I was the reader for the Second Station and I carried the Cross to the final Station in front of the Governor’s Mansion.

After I get caught up I will post about each station. However, the Locations and themes were:

Supreme Court Building: Capital Punishment
Martin Luther King Statue: Racism/Race Riots
Second and Adams: Militarism
Old State Capitol: Violence
Federal Building: Poverty
Lincoln Library: Homelessness/Hunger
Medical District: Health Care
Inner City Mission: Women/Children
Sagamon County Jail: Prisons
State Journal Register: Environment
Municipal Building: Immigration
Federal Building: Middle East
Governor’s Mansion (5th Street Gate): Life
Governor’s Mansion (Jackson Street) Prayer

So, first I need to do my homework, connect with family, get ready for work and then I will describe each of the Stations.

Peace and all good,
Carl