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 100 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, getting a small sense of what Jesus endured on Good Friday.

“It felt like a heavy burden,” said Aidan Pearson, who took a turn carrying the cross in observance of Good Friday. “He had to carry that, plus all of our sins on it as well.”

Karin Bell, a member of Edgewood Presbyterian Church, has been taking part in the procession for many of those years, but this was the first time she took a turn carrying the cross.

“This is the first time I’ver ever carried,” Bell said. “It was worth it. It was a real meaningful experience. I’ll be forever grateful I was able to do it.”

On a hot day, those who tooks carrying the cross were left sweating, but also spiritually moved.

“It meant the world; I’m here because of him, because he carried the cross,” said Jody Jacobs, a member of Friendship Baptist Church. “My feelings won’t come close to what he endured for me.”

The procession started at 2 p.m. at Homewood Park, led by the cross and a bagpiper playing hymns, and proceeded along Oxmoor.

“For Jesus, this was a lot heavier,” said Jack Harrington, a member of Havenfield Community Church, after he carried the cross.

“It felt like a good representation of what we’re all called to do, to pick up our own cross and carry it,” he said. “It can get really heavy at points, but we just continue on this journey with Christ. It’s very rewarding to do.”

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.

“It’s very critical to our faith,” said Mike Gregg, a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, who started the procession by carrying the cross out of Homewood Park. “It’s a real humbling event to even think about.”

The group gathered to sing “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” as the procession ended at Edgewood Presbyterian Church.

The event draws participation from about a dozen area congregations.

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.

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

“The crucifixion is right at the heart of what we believe,” said the Rev. Ian Conerly, associate pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church. “Jesus died for our sins to set us free and to release us from all the things that held us captive. If we don’t have Good Friday, then Easter really doesn’t have much meaning.”