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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 2018)
OFF PAGE ONE TRIBUTE: ‘It has a more profound meaning than just hunting for eggs’ Saturday, March 31, 2018 Continued from 1A hours leading up to Jesus Christ’s death, culminating in a depiction of his crucifixion on top of the Hermiston Butte. Participants are then invited to celebrate his resur- rection at weekend Easter services. For many, watching the familiar story play out is a ritual that helps them keep in mind the meaning behind the holiday. “It’s part of my Easter. It’s just part of my Good Friday,” said Jerome Tremblay. Tremblay said he has been coming to the Way of the Cross for at least 10 years. While the 2,000-year-old storyline stays the same, Tremblay said the crowd has gotten bigger and the production value better over the years he has watched it. “It seems like they get a little better every year,” he said. Erica Ramirez said she brought her three daughters because she wanted to move beyond watching films and listening to sermons in remem- bering the events depicted in the New Testament. “I want them to not just think Easter is about eggs,” she said. “It has a more profound meaning than just hunting for eggs.” Michelle Bowden came for the first time this year, after reading about it in the news- paper. She said she attends New Hope Church, but as the event sponsored by the Catholic church was free and open to all, she decided to seek out a new way to strengthen her faith. “I love, love, love this story,” she said. “I love what God does through this re-en- actment.” The re-enactment on Friday started in the parking lot across from Our Lady of Angels church. Actors — mostly teenage members of the church — portrayed Roman soldiers bringing Jesus before Pontias Pilate, the Roman governor who reluctantly allowed him to be executed. As the stations progressed through town, scenes showed Jesus carrying his cross, being beaten, falling down and being embraced by his mother Mary. Finally, he is hoisted up on a cross and dies to atone for the sins of the rest of the world, paving the way for repentant souls to receive eternal life, Catholics believe. The 14 stations alternated between Spanish and English as Father Daniel Maxwell narrated the scenes and compared them to elements of modern day followers’ lives. “We should remember that what we do to our brother we also do to God himself,” he told the crowd as an actor portraying a disciple helped the fallen actor portraying Jesus stand up under the weight of the heavy wooden cross he dragged through town and up to the top of the butte. At the end of the event, Vincent Trevino, who portrayed the head Roman soldier, told the crowd that Jesus didn’t die so that people could put on pageants about it — he died out of love for the East Oregonian Page 11A Staff photo by E.J. Harris A procession of hundreds follows actors during the Way of the Cross, an annual pageant by Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church on Good Friday in Hermiston. rest of humanity. “It’s not about the show, it’s about Jesus’ love for each of you,” he said. He invited everyone to participate in Good Friday services later in the day, then celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead by participating in Easter services on Sunday. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian. com or 541-564-4536. Preview: 1 PM - 3 PM Saturday, March 31st EOU It’s official: IS CONNECTED DRAWINGS FOR PRIZES FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Online registration & race information at EOU has been WWW.BUTTECHALLENGE.COM designated REGISTER ONLINE BY APRIL 28TH TO ORDER A CUSTOM TECHNICAL RACE T-SHIRT Oregon’s Rural University! All proceeds benefit THE HERMISTON CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM Thank you for your support! eou.edu/connected