San Francisco de Asis Parish: to love Christ, is to be Christ

In the course of our Catholic faith, it is our tradition during the Holy Week to “be with Christ” and commemorate in our deepest thanksgiving His saving action to all humanity. And it has been a tradition to participate in the church’s Via Crucis to feel Christ’s passion of love and to have a heart of acceptance in anything your life would be.

San Francisco de Asis Parish, Tagakpan held its yearly Via Crucis in line with the Holy Week celebration of the whole Catholic community in Davao. Unlike any other Via Crucis in the metro, the parish made a unique and more true to life experience for the parishioners, a Live Stations of the Cross. In fact, it is the 4th year of the parish on practicing the live stations. This was made possible by the parish council with the help of the parishioners, and in particular, it is the youth of the parish who portrayed the Way of the Cross. Why is it live? Because instead of statues and pictures, real persons were the one who portrayed each of Christ’s passion. They used props, make-ups and costumes to look more likely factual to the usual pictures people use and see in other Via Crucis. Then they made tableaus and freezes until all parishioners passed by. The Via Crucis started 5:00 in the morning of March 25. Its route was from Sta. Catalina chapel of Brgy. Manuel Guianga, Tugbok down to Brgy. Tagakpan, where San Francisco de Asis Parish is located.

It was something to be proud of. Something that is to be treasured and to be preserved. It conveys a message for the people to have a greater faith to our Lord because what He has done, is a picture of how great is His love for us that He gave His only Son to save us from our sins. (Abigail Cervas | SFDA SocCom)