Hundreds gather as Prince of Peace Parish offers the Stations of the Cross in four languages
Around 200 people gathered at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul in Lewiston at noon on Good Friday to pray the Stations of the Cross, a devotion that retraces the steps that Jesus took to his crucifixion and death.
“I wanted to be here because I feel like I need to share in the Stations of the Cross with Christ, who did so much for us. It’s the least we can do,” says Doris Belanger, a parishioner.
This year, Prince of Peace Parish, which includes the basilica, decided to offer the Stations of the Cross in four languages: English, French, Kirundi, and Portuguese, reflecting the increasing diverse ethnicity of the Lewiston area’s Catholic population.
“We have a big immigrant community now. We have so many people from Burundi, from Congo, who speak French, and there area so many different countries from Africa that speak French, and in Angola, they speak Portuguese. So for this to feel more welcoming and for them to feel involved, I spoke with the pastor [Father Daniel Greenleaf] and he welcomed the idea of, this Good Friday, having everybody to do the stations in the language they understand," says Dancile Nshirimana, the parish's outreach coordinator, who is originally from Burundi.
Father Greenleaf led the prayers in English at each of the stations and then parishioners took turns reading the accompanying reflections in different languages. Parishioners were given booklets with each Station of the Cross in each language, so they could follow along.
“I wanted to come and experience Jesus through the eyes and the language of all of our parishioners who are from different countries. I, myself. am from a different country,” says Ethna Wilson, who is originally from Ireland. “It’s a wonderful way to embrace our community and include them in such a wonderful time of year."
“There are two principles of the Catholic faith that are the undercurrent of everything we do: It's her holiness perpetuated by the sacrifice of the altar and the Eucharist, through which we are all fed and united, and then her catholicity or her universality, that it is for all men, that the saving message of Christ, the sacrifice of the cross, is not just for those of us that are called but for all mankind. So, to share that in many, many languages, to feel that universality in our small corner of Maine is just a beautiful thing to witness, that we are the Universal Church, that we are for all the broken and for the saints,” said Tyler Nadeau, director of evangelization and catechesis for Prince of Peace Parish.
In addition to the Stations of the Cross, Prince of Peace Parish recently added a Mass in Portuguese and now offers weekend Masses in six languages: English, French, Kirundi, Latin, Portuguese and Spanish. The Masses in English, Latin, and Spanish are offered every weekend, while the Masses in French, Kirundi, and Portuguese are each offered one Sunday a month.
