SAN JUAN — Minutes before 12 p.m., there was still some uncertainty about how Good Friday would be celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle.
A cold front Thursday brought lingering thunderstorms and nippy weather. With the persistent overcast and occasional rain showers throughout the region, the church was forced to decide whether they would go through with their plans to lead a procession through the Stations of the Cross outside the basilica, or observe the 14-step Catholic devotion indoors.
The church left that decision to its congregation. Father Jorge Gomez, rector of the basilica, addressed the bundled-up crowd of worshippers and said that both options would be available.
Before he could finish his announcement, nearly the entire congregation stood up and began making their way outside as the 12 p.m. church bells rang.
Just as the bells stopped tolling, Bishop Daniel E. Flores walked outside through the basilica’s large doors, carrying a tall wooden cross. He descended the wet stairs and made his way to a statue of Jesus standing before Pontius Pilate, the first of the 14 Stations of the Cross along the 3/4 mile path around the basilica.
“This is the day that we commemorate the death of Christ on the cross — of his passion,” Gomez said. “That’s why it attracts a lot of people to come and pray and reflect and get closer to the Lord. But of course, what we celebrate every Sunday is not his death, we celebrate His resurrection, proclaim his death, and announce His resurrection. That was the most central message of the apostles from the beginning. They focus on the resurrection of Christ, and that’s what we continue doing 2,000 years later.”
The Stations of the Cross, or Via Crucis, depict 14 scenes from Jesus’ final day, from His condemnation to His crucifixion and death, and ending with His burial.
As the congregation made their way to each station, they sang “Perdona a Tu Pueblo Señor.” At each station, Bishop Flores described the scene in English and Spanish before leading the group of roughly 800 parishioners in prayer of the Our Father and Hail Mary.
With temperatures fluctuating between the high 50s and low 60s, and the precipitation bringing a constant mist, the crowd remained undeterred.
Lloyd Ramirez and his wife Karen Valentino of Dallas were in town for a funeral earlier in the week, and decided to visit the basilica in observance of the Holy Triduum, or the last three days of Lent.
“It’s the Holy Week, you know, and we’ve been trying to get closer to our faith,” Valentino said. “What better way than to walk the steps of Jesus?”
Ramirez, a Harlingen native, said that attending the Stations of the Cross helped bring him and his wife closer to their faith.
“Because He died for us,” Ramirez said. “Because we want to honor that He sacrificed himself for us, so we can actually go to Heaven and actually be seated right next to Him.”
Claudio Garcia or Mercedes attended the Stations of the Cross with his wife, daughters and grandchildren for the first time in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the weather did not play into his decision to make his return.
“We kept away like every majority of the people,” Garcia said. “So it was time to come back to the church. It’s beautiful weather. It’s perfect.”
“Well, we decided it was time to come back because of all the sins that we commit throughout the years,” he added with a laugh.
The service finished at a station depicting Jesus lying in a tomb. After the last prayers were recited, Flores waited at the top of a set of stairs leading toward the basilica and shook hands, hugged, and prayed over a long line of worshippers.
“I was very moved by the participation today — so many people with their umbrellas that made the effort to come and to just walk together,” Flores said. “It’s a very simple movement across the grounds, to some way remember what the different moments of the Passion were. So to me, it strengthens my appreciation for the grace of God operating on our people.”
Flores said that despite the weather, the crowd of parishioners at this year’s event was much larger, something he said signifies the need for faith in trying times.
“I found, even more this year, that people have a sense that they need to turn to God and to the Lord Jesus in their own lives more closely,” Flores said. “People worry a lot and they pray a lot, and they hope for the best for their children. And I think that’s one of the things that preoccupies a lot of people.”
