Good Friday is celebrated in a unique way in Westshore communities

Station of the Cross No. 1 at a Huntington Woods Drive home. Photo by Tess Smith

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Good Friday is one of the holiest days of the year for Catholics. Traditionally, The Passion is read and the Stations of the Cross are prayed at various churches on Good Friday. This year the typical observances would be put on hold because of the stay-at-home order from Governor Mike DeWine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, 14 Bay Village, Westlake and Rocky River families created a way to commemorate the journey of Christ and join the community together, while still social distancing through the Driving Stations of the Cross.

The effort was led by Dr. Katie Bekeny-Kelly and her family of Bay Village. She started a text string on April 1, asking each family to volunteer to create some sort of display of the 14 Stations of the Cross for Friday, April 10. The goal was for families and community members to drive by each exhibit and use the Catholic All Year Stations of the Cross devotional to say prayers, read Bible verses, and meditate with the visual model of the path of Jesus.

The group used different mediums: cardboard, plywood, canvas, or butcher paper to erect each display. The families decided how to put them up and keep them up on the sunny, but windy Friday. The Stations went up at 8:30 a.m. and the first observers showed up around 9:00 a.m. on Huntington Woods Drive, for station No. 1, Jesus was condemned to death. They followed the emailed map and prayer booklet in a circular pattern, finishing on Osborn Road, where Jesus was laid in the tomb. Spotlights illuminated the stations until 10 p.m.

According to Westlake resident Megan Tomsik, “More than any other day, on Good Friday, our faith calls us to remember the sacrifice Jesus made, usually through fasting, church visits, prayer services or live Stations of the Cross. The Driving Stations of the Cross was a way for our family to experience the Passion of Christ in community with our church family, while still observing social distancing regulations.” 

People had different experiences while on their drive-by journey. Third-grade St. Raphael teacher Cathy Barrett sent this email: “Thank you so very much for such a holy experience. We participated as a family and were very moved by the creativity and holiness at all of the Stations. May God bless you and thank you again.”

In addition to being able to take a drive and pray with family members, an added bonus was being able to wave to friends on the journey as you progressed through the stations. From the comments the group received, the Driving Stations of the Cross was a fantastic idea of putting faith into action during this trying time. It was wonderful working together as a family to create the exhibit and even better to see the steady stream of cars waiting to pass by each house.

While these days of the pandemic have been difficult, the Driving Stations of the Cross has given us the unique and creative opportunity to feel more togetherness in our community, while strengthening our faith.