Last year, on Good Friday, I had the experience of carrying a huge cross through Mid-Town in Manhattan with volunteers from Mission Youth.

We started at Columbus Circle on 60th Street, at the southern end of Central Park, and proceeded down Broadway all the way to Time Square. We did an about face, turned east and headed down 42nd Street to Grand Central Station, maneuvered back to 5th Avenue, and finally made it up to St Patrick’s Cathedral. Quite a hike with a big cross on your back!

Okay, there was a gang of us hauling that cross around. Try doing it by yourself!

So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha (John 19:16-17)

Thanks to the other three Gospels, we also know that at one point the Roman soldiers forced a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, to aid him. So we called ourselves Cyreneans.

I’m looking forward to carrying that cross again on Good Friday this year and taking part in some other activities, such as (other things featured in the video above):

• Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at Old St Patrick’s Cathedral in Soho
• Living Stations of the Cross in the streets of lower Manhattan
• Bringing food and clothing to homeless people at shelters in Manhattan at midnight
• Not eating (it’s Good Friday)

If you are interested in learning more about the Holy Week Missions with Mission Youth, click here and check out their sight.

Be sure to follow Biltrix during Holy Week for Fr Jason Smith’s daily meditations on the 7 Last Words of Christ, fresh footage of our Holy Week Missions, and much, much more!