On a rainy Good Friday, Catholics from all over the Bronx gathered at the now merged Church of St. Brendan and St. Ann in Norwood in remembrance of the Catholic tradition of commemorating the death of Jesus Christ.  The reenactment of the Stations of the Cross, a series of 14 images that depict Christ on the day he was crucified by the Romans, is marked by a solemn annual procession.  It was first time parishioners of the now closed Shrine Church of St. Ann took part in the ceremony since the church closed last July.

The live portrayal served not just to remind the faithful of Christ’s last day, but also to guide them on a spiritual journey through their faith.  Christ, played by a member of the church, was condemned to death by a group of Romans, and the ceremony touched off the first station starting at the corner of Webster Avenue and East 204th Street. The event continued with a bloody, barefoot Christ being paraded through the streets carrying a large wooden cross on his back, and ended at St. Brendan’s.

The procession ended with Christ being laid in his tomb and mourned by Mary, Christ’s mother. The annual commemoration was attended by many, with huge crowds following the actors. The event came two days before Easter, which celebrates Christ’s resurrection. Plans are already in the works for next year’s event.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.