Stations of the Cross pilgrimage set for April 7 in Sarasota

Staff Report
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SARASOTA – Pastors, priests and congregants from more than 20 Sarasota churches representing 14 denominations will participate in the “Stations of the Cross," in downtown Sarasota starting at 7 a.m. on Good Friday, April, 7.

Participants will gather in front of the Regal Hollywood movie theater, 1993 Main Street, with a welcome to begin the event at 7:20 a.m.

The 2022 Stations of the Cross procession begins heading west on Main Street in Sarasota. Hundreds join in the Stations of the Cross Walk down Main Street in Sarasota on Friday. The Sarasota Ministerial Association and The Church of the Redeemer Episcopal Church hosted the event, a tradition founded in 1996. Good Friday commemorates the the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is traditionally a day of fasting and penance for Christians.

Sarasota Mayor Kyle Battie and Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Neunder will present the first station. Pastors and priests from the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, the Catholic Deanery, the South West District of the United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America's Mid-Gulf Conference and churches of the Newtown Community Ministries United association will be involved.

The procession will continue west along Main Street until it the final station at Church of the Redeemer, 22 S. Palm Ave.

For those who want to park at the final station, complimentary rides from Sarasota Trolleys will take pilgrims from Redeemer to Regal Hollywood starting at 6 a.m. After an 8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer service, the trolley will be offered from Redeemer to Regal Hollywood for those who parked at the route's start.

Nearly 1,000 people participated last year in the 22nd annual event, hosted by Church of the Redeemer in collaboration with the Sarasota Ministerial Association. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the pilgrimage was presented online., but it returned live in 2021.

For more information about walking the Stations of the Cross, call the Redeemer parish office at 941-955-4263.

For information about the Sarasota Ministerial Association, email the Rev. Dr. Tom Pfaff, president, at ChaplainTomPfaff@Gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 22nd annual Stations of the Cross set for April 7 in Sarasota