“Consider, that Jesus, in making this journey with the cross on his shoulders, thought of us, and offered for us, to His Father, the death that He was about to undergo.”

Stations of the Cross, St. Alphonsus Liguori

They came to the stations bundled against the cold of Good Friday, under overcast skies.

It was the annual Stations of the Cross at St. Augustine and St. Edward’s Catholic churches in Austin. Starting at St. Augustine, the group would go to the 14 stations, carrying with them a cross.

Father James Steffes gathered the group with a few words at the courtyard of St. Augustine, leaning on the full-sized, rough-hewn cross.

A short prayer was said, and a few directions given. Silently, a man stepped from the crowd and hoisted the cross, the crossbar weighted on his shoulder.

With hats and mittens – and in one case, a stroller – about 30 faithful fell behind Steffes and the man with the cross, and began their pilgrimage.

Along the way, smaller crosses were seen; children stopped to pick them up. At each station, another stepped up to take the large cross as prayers were said.

“It is a great tradition in the church; it brings people closer to the Lord — not everyone has the opportunity to go with Jesus on a pilgrimage, so, it was a way to bring the pilgrimage to home, to walk those steps of Jesus,” said Steffes.

The physical act means much, especially on Good Friday, Steffes said. It comes with the curious stares of bystanders; in other cases, people join the group.

While the stations of the cross, whose images line the sanctuary, are visited regularly inside the church, “in this case we’re actually walking, we’re on a real pilgrimage, on the streets of Jerusalem, through the streets of Austin,” Steffes said. “Some will stop and stare as we walk as Jesus walked through the streets of Jerusalem; other people stop and watch … and others, just like in Jesus’ time, breeze on by.”

It marked the seventh year that the pilgrimage was taken between St. Augustine and St. Edwards.