From Jesus’ birth in a manger in Bethlehem to his crucifixion and resurrection, the story of God’s only son, sent to die on the cross for the sins of those in the world, is one of the most told stories throughout history.

Though the story is available in the most printed book ever in history, it is limited in visual form. The story was brought to life on Good Friday by a group of Spanish parishioners at Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Washington.

In its “Living Stations of the Cross” performance, locals were given a unique chance to experience a visual form of the story, full of emotion and inspiration to not only those who participated in the performance, but also to those in attendance.

“We wanted to show everybody what the passion of Christ was kind of like,” said Lupe Olivares, the production’s director. “People have seen the movie (‘Passion of the Christ’) but we wanted our parishioners and others to see it reenacted because it evokes a lot of emotion. If we can get one person to say, ‘Wow, (Jesus) did this for my salvation…’ That’s kind of why we wanted to do it.”

Olivares said the production included participation from approximately 50 members of the church and involved a lot of focus, discipline and cooperation. The performance’s script was created by Olivares, using scripture, religious materials and notes from the 2004 “Passion of the Christ” movie by Mel Gibson, according to Olivares. The script followed the life of Christ from the Last Supper to the time of his crucifixion and death.

 

All the costumes used in the production were handmade by parishioner Patricia Rangel, a feat that involved period clothing and other gear used to make the reenactment as authentic as possible.

Olivares said those who acted in the play, other parishioners and Father Brendan Buckler, Mother of Mercy’s pastor, saw the production as a ministry that will be continued for years to come, one that has and will continue to have an impact on those who see it.

“Oh man, it’s a big deal,” Olivares said. “It’s great. There was a lot of work getting all the actors and pushing them to do things and learn their lines. It was worth it because you see how people react to it. If we can help people grow in their faith, it makes it all worth it.”

Mother of Mercy Catholic Church is located at 112 W. Ninth St. in Washington.