Where in Omaha area to go for Good Friday commemorations

People throughout the Omaha area are invited to enter into the Passion of Jesus Christ at any of three Good Friday commemorations, April 19.

The annual Communion and Liberation Way of the Cross procession in Omaha’s Memorial Park, the Walk for Justice in downtown Omaha, and the Catholic Cemeteries Stations of the Cross service at Calvary Cemetery will recall Christ’s suffering and death.

The Memorial Park service, in its seventh year, begins at 9 a.m. in St. Margaret Mary Church at 6116 Dodge St., said Elizabeth Sondag, judge for the archdiocese’s Metropolitan Tribunal and member of the Communion and Liberation international ecclesial movement.

It then proceeds to the park, she said, where volunteers will take turns carrying a large, wooden cross and participants will stop five times for readings of sections of the Passion from the Gospel of Matthew, prayers and song.

“This is an opportunity to enter into the Passion of our Lord … leading us more deeply into his heart and having an encounter with him that can be truly life transforming,” Sondag said. 

The 41st annual Walk for Justice begins at 1 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 109 S. 19th St., and includes Stations of the Cross with stops for prayer at the federal courthouse, Douglas County Jail, Douglas County Courthouse and the Omaha-Douglas Civic Center.

“In addition to traditional elements of the Stations, there also are reflections on issues relevant to today’s society,” said Tim McTaggart, youth minister at Sacred Heart Church in Omaha and planner of the service.

People from Catholic parishes, schools and other organizations will read the Scripture passages and reflections, he said, while a student from Creighton Preparatory School portrays Jesus carrying a life-sized, wooden cross.

For the fourth year in a row, Catholic Cemeteries will host its Stations of the Cross service at Calvary Cemetery, 7710 W. Center Road, beginning at 3 p.m., said Deacon James Tardy, outreach manager, who leads the service.

Participants will follow a 1.7-mile route through the cemetery as volunteers take turns carrying a large, wooden cross, stopping at each of the stone and mosaic Stations for prayer and reflection, he said.