Faithful commemorate Good Friday at Stations of the Cross at Cemetery of the Holy Rood

Catholic parishioners commemorated one of their holiest days of the year with a mini-pilgrimage in Westbury on Friday.

Well over 100 people attended the annual Stations of the Cross prayer service, hosted by deacons at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in commemoration of Good Friday, the day Christians believe Jesus was crucified.

The cemetery has hosted the procession for decades, but the event was briefly paused during the pandemic. Friday’s service marks only the second since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. 

There are 14 stone crosses throughout the grounds at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood, each carved with depictions of the day Jesus died, from his condemnation by the Romans to his crucifixion and entombment. The two deacons leading the procession trailed behind a parishioner holding up a cross, with a different person taking over at each station.

The faithful believe that on Easter, the Sunday after Good Friday, Jesus was resurrected.

“One of the main reasons why it’s so important for us as Catholics is that we know that Christ dying for us was for our salvation. But his time on the cross was not just for us, it was for all humankind,” said Chris Quinn, 68, a deacon who helped lead the procession under gray skies on Friday.

“This is a very important time not just for Christians, but for people of all faiths. It’s a time of love, it’s a time of unity. And those are the kinds of things that we have to embrace,” Quinn said.

The prayer ritual holds significance to many Catholics beyond Easter weekend. Many of Friday’s churchgoers had friends and relatives buried at the cemetery, a part of which dates back to 1856. Some parishioners branched off during the 1.5-mile procession to visit the graves of loved ones. 

Eileen Henschel, 67, walking with her two young grandchildren, came to commemorate the day. She has many relatives buried at the cemetery — grandparents on both sides, her father, her brother-in-law, aunts, uncles and friends. 

Henschel, of East Meadow, stopped at one point during the walk to visit the grave of a family friend who died during 9/11. “He came in to see his father, who was having surgery at the hospital, when everything happened,” she recalled.

The ceremony was also a time of remembrance for Ellen Andrasick, 83, of Franklin Square, who attended for the first time. Her husband died in November. 

“I figured I’d come for him,” she said. 

Christopher Dunne, 27, of New Hyde Park, said the Stations of the Cross holds special meaning for his family beyond Good Friday. He was among the churchgoers who took turns carrying the cross leading the procession on Friday. 

“When my mom’s sister was sick, she would do the Stations of the Cross almost every weekend,” he said. “It’s a special ceremony, rather than just being one of our holiest days.”

And it’s a ceremony that holds a special meaning at a Catholic cemetery, said John Kennedy, chief financial officer for Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island. 

“It’s about the resurrection of Christ, the continuation of life,” he said. “It’s a core piece of our faith.” 

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.