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Catholics Carry Giant Cross for Miles for Holy Week

Posted at 5:25 AM, Apr 12, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-12 12:41:32-04

ROCKFORD, Mich. (April 12, 2014) – The local Catholic community is preparing for Holy Week with the third Annual Weight of the Cross Pilgrimage.

A group of devout Catholics from Our Lady of Consolation Parish carried a giant cross in a pilgrimage to celebrate the meaning of Easter.

“You carry the cross and you realize what Jesus went through for us, dying for our sins, carrying the cross, being nailed to the cross, the shame of it all, all for redemption for us. It’s an amazing story and it’s real,” said Greg Beasley, Our Lady of Consolation parishioner.

The group walked five and a half miles, along the White Pine Trail from Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Belmont to Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Rockford.

More than 15 parishioners bore the weight of the cross, walking mostly in silence then in prayer and hymn.

Organizer of this pilgrimage, Mike DiCosola, says this is a personal way for parishioners to center in Christ before Holy Week.

“A lot of people aren’t very comfortable with a public display of their faith, and that’s part of it too: we’re not really out trying to send a message, it’s really for us and prayer,” explained DiCosola.

Beginning and ending the morning in prayer, walkers of several generations said this was a way to bring their faith to life.

“It deeply moved me,” shared Noah Krakowski, a seventh-grade first-time walker.

“It was fun walking and spending time with my dad and other parishioners and people from around here and carrying the cross and praying for five miles or so. It was really fun,” said Matthew DiCosola, a seventh-grade third-time walker.

The Band of Brother’s OLC Men’s Group organized this walk and said it started three years ago when some parishioners made the life-sized cross and didn’t have an easy way of bringing it to their church. They said they decided to walk the cross to Our Lady of Consolation Parish, and the tradition begun.