It’s a Homewood tradition that dates back more than 30 years, but it’s part of a larger tradition that dates back 2,000 years.

The annual “Way of the Cross” procession on Oxmoor Road in Homewood on Good Friday afternoon drew more than 200 believers who meditated on the suffering and death of Jesus of Nazareth.

Volunteers took turns carrying a 7-foot-tall wooden cross on Oxmoor Road.

The procession started at 2 p.m. at Homewood Park, proceeded along Oxmoor, and ended at Edgewood Presbyterian Church, where congregants concluded by singing, “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?”

The event draws participation from about a dozen area congregations.

“People love it when we work together instead of against each other,” said the Rev. Brad Landry, rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, one of the stops where the walking worshippers stop to observe the stations of the cross.

Meditating on the suffering of Jesus is a reminder for Christians that God suffers with them, and the church should comfort those who are suffering, said the Rev. Joe Genau, pastor of Edgewood Presbyterian Church.

“The church needs to witness to the suffering of the world,” Genau said. “When the world is suffering, we need to say, ‘You are not alone.’”

Homewood churches have been marking Good Friday with the annual Way of the Cross joint procession since 1992, although it was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

The procession stops to meditate on the stations of the cross, moments in the torture of Jesus as he is led to his crucifixion. The group stops at Trinity United Methodist, All Saints’ Episcopal and Dawson Memorial Baptist churches.

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and focuses on his suffering. In Jerusalem, Christians take part in a procession that retraces the steps of Jesus carrying his cross on the way to the crucifixion.

Christians worldwide will celebrate Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, on Sunday.

See also: Why is it called Good Friday?