Catholic parishioners of San Fernando Cathedral will stage the Passion Play, a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, on Good Friday morning in downtown San Antonio.
The event returns after a two-year pandemic hiatus. The rector of the cathedral, Father Carlos Velazquez, said it starts with a 9:30 a.m. ecumenical service at Milam Park.
"Then immediately after the ecumenical service at 10 o'clock, we will begin the Passion Play through the streets of San Antonio. We will end up in front of the Cathedral at exactly 12 noon where we will have the crucifixion," he said.
The Passion Play procession will travel from the park to the cathedral down Santa Rosa, Travis and Flores streets. It usually attracts thousands of locals and tourists along its route.
Velazquez said the parishioners, who portray Christ struggling to carry a large cross, his followers and Roman soldiers are spiritually moved as the procession moves towards the cathedral.
"They really undergo many, many spiritual moments as they prepare for this and obviously even during the actual procession there are many moments of spirituality that takes place," he said.
The cathedral's Passion Play started 40 years ago and is now televised on Catholic Television.
The weather should be ideal for the event. While there is a very low chance of showers, it should otherwise be mostly cloudy with temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s for most of the event.
