Fr. Roderick Miranda leads the rites of the 14 Stations of the Cross. Photo by Ernie Esconde
SAMAL, Bataan — The Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) here on Friday for the first time after two years of the pandemic retraced the 14 Stations of the Cross in observance of the Lenten season.
There was a slight drizzle but this did not deter the participants led by IFI–Samal parish priest Fr. Roderick Miranda to continue going through every station until the completion at the church.
Fourteen houses were selected in the barangay and each one designated as station of the cross.
The Stations of the Cross started with Jesus being condemned to death and ended with him being laid to the tomb after dying on the cross.
In every station of the cross represented by an image of what happened to Jesus, Miranda prayed while the participants sang songs of devotion.
Here is how it went: First station – Jesus is condemned to death, Second – Jesus accepts the cross, Third – Jesus falls for first time, Fourth – Jesus meets his mother, Fifth – Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross, Sixth – Veronica wipes the face of Jesus, Seventh – Jesus falls the second time, Eighth – Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem, Ninth – Jesus falls a third time, Tenth – Jesus is stripped of his clothes, Eleventh – Jesus is crucified, Twelfth – Jesus dies on the cross, Thirteenth – Body of Jesus taken down, and Fourteenth – Jesus is laid in the tomb.
This is a yearly Lenten activity of the Saint Catherine of Siena Parish of the Aglipay Church but temporarily stopped in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus disease pandemic.
