It was a heavy cross to bear through the streets of downtown Prince George, but the burden was shared by 12 individuals as they took turns reenacting the walk of Jesus on his last day on earth.
At every stop along the way during the Walk of Sorrows, Way of Freedom procession on Good Friday, pastor David Wood read passages from the Bible describing how Jesus was crucified on a hillside outside the walls of Jerusalem, and the followers responded by reading their prayers from pamphlets.
For the 150 or so participants who turned out at City Hall on a warm sunny afternoon, Friday's walk served as a reminder why Easter carries such prominence as a fundamental date on the Christian calendar.
"I'm a Christian and I always come out for the Easter walk, I've done it for years," said Ken Dahl.
"It reminds me of Jesus's walk at Eastertime and that he is our lord and saviour and died for our sins. A lot of times, things get very commercialized with Easter bunnies and that sort of thing and with a lot of different cultures in Canada now, the Christian faith is not always at the forefront with a lot of people as it was years ago.
"Everybody has a right to what they believe in. Our country was based on those sorts of things and we still hope some of those principles are kept up. The reason we call it Good Friday is that was the day Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross and died on the cross for us, who are sinners, and he lived a sinless life. So whoever believes in him will have everlasting life, and that's why it's a celebration. It was a very dark time leading up to that, but he said he would rise again in three days, and he did that."
Paul Cot worked traffic detail to clear a path for the procession as it made its way to 12 stops, representing the 12 stations of the cross, along its downtown route. He says its important people remember the real meaning behind Easter.
"I'm here because of Jesus Christ and that's one of the reasons we're here today, to make people realize Jesus does exist," said Cote.
Most city businesses were closed Friday and the walk helped restore the faith of Sister Jude Van Valen that the real Easter spirit will never die.
"We don't have as much awareness of religion in society as we used to have," Van Valen said, "however the real meaning of Easter is that Jesus Christ is still alive and we will also live forever because of that."
The Walk of Sorrows began in 2000 and now involves 10 Christian churches in the city.
Wood, pastor of the St. Andrews United Church, was encouraged to learn Cuba has allowed its Christian community to celebrate Good Friday, but there's still work to be done in Canada to keep the spirit of Easter alive.
"Good Friday is a very important date for the Christian faith and, more and more, society is overlooking it," said Wood. "Easter is the centre point to Christian faith, that Jesus was crucified and came back to life. It's a sign that God's love cannot be defeated by death and that God has new life in store for all us and the resurrection is a promise of that new life to come.
"That's very reassuring, and it's one of the reasons Christianity is one of the largest faiths in the world. It's because we are a religion that promotes the idea that God's love is not limited to this world but continues to the world beyond. His message was for all people, he didn't limit it to Christians. This was good news for everybody."
Stephan Wagner, a pastor at the Youth Containment Centre, said it's not difficult to get young inmates focused on Easter's true meaning.
"People tend to think that God is where the glory and the beauty is, but God is most strongly where the suffering is and the evil and the darkness," said Wagner.
"It's easier to convey that in jail, where God is with them in their suffering by suffering himself. Hopefully many of the people who come here today, this will encourage them to embrace people who have done evil things and be there for them. Transformation is possible, but you have to embrace those who are in darkness. It's a day of solidarity for those who are suffering."
