Processions Mark Solemn Holy Day
Faithful residents will mark the most solemn day on the Christian calendar tomorrow, Good Friday, Apr. 6, with prayerful processions through a number of communities in the Times Newsweekly coverage area.
Priests from local parishes will join worshippers in moving Stations of the Cross and vigils on local streets to mark the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The holy day is a prelude to Easter, celebrated this Sunday, Apr. 8, which commemorates Christ’s resurrection.
The leader of the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens will preside over the annual Good Friday procession through the streets of Ridgewood and Glendale scheduled to take place tomorrow night. As announced, the march will begin at 6 p.m. at St. Pancras Church, located on 68th Street and Myrtle Avenue in Glendale.
Under the leadership of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the faithful will wind their way through local streets before concluding at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, at the corner of 60th Place and Bleecker Street in Ridgewood.
St. Pancras and OLMM are co-organizing the procession along with several other Catholic churches in the area, including St. Matthias and St. Aloysius churches in Ridgewood, St. Margaret and Our Lady of Hope churches in Middle Village, Sacred Heart Church in Glendale and St. Brigid Church on the Ridgewood/ Bushwick border in Brooklyn.
Various religious and Italian- American organizations from around the neighborhood are also sponsoring the event, including the Societa Concordia Partanna, Maria Santissima del Balzo di Bisaquino, Santa Margherita Belice, Associazione La Lambada, Associazione Artistica La Zagara, Maria Delle Grazie di Montevago and the Associazione Culturson ale di New York.
Officers from the 104th Precinct and members of the Glendale/104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol will escort the participants to ensure; drivers are advised to be prepared for periodic road closures while the procession is underway.
St. Brigid Church, under the direction of its pastor, Msgr. James Kelly, will hold its own Good Friday procession beginning at 1 p.m. in front of their house of worship at the corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and Linden Street. The march will go through several area streets before concluding back at the church with a service at 3 p.m.
Three other Bushwick churches will be hosting Good Friday processions. The first will be held at 10:30 a.m. at St. Martin of Tours Church, located at 1288 Hancock St., followed two hours later by a procession at St. Barbara Church, located at 138 Bleecker St., at 1 p.m. The last procession will take place at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church, located at 185 Suydam St.
Maspeth Christians will mark Jesus Christ’s last steps on local streets through a communal Stations of the Cross which will begin this Friday noon at Holy Cross Church, located at 61-21 56th Rd. The procession will wind through neighborhood streets and make stops at St. Stanislaus and Transfiguration churches.
Parishioners from Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians Church in Woodside will also commemorate Good Friday with a procession around their house of worship beginning at noon tomorrow. The faithful will begin their march from outside the church located at 70-31 48th Ave. near 72nd Street.
