Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Manitoba

Catholics mark Good Friday in Winnipeg with Way of the Cross march

Hundreds of worshippers took the streets in Winnipeg's South Osborne neighbourhood on Friday for the Public Way of the Cross walk.

1st Way of the Cross procession since the start of the pandemic

CBC News ·
A man in short white hair and glasses, and wearing a long black coat, carries a wooden cross on his right shoulder as a crowd walks behind.
Archbishop Richard Gagnon shoulders the cross as he begins Friday's walk from Our Lady of Victory Memorial Parish. (Travis Golby/CBC)

Hundreds of worshippers took the streets in Winnipeg's South Osborne neighbourhood on Friday for the Public Way of the Cross walk.

The event each year is hosted by one parish in the city to mark Good Friday, commemorating Jesus's carrying of the cross before he was crucified.

This year — the 34th — was organized by the Archdiocese of Winnipeg and hosted by Our Lady of Victory Memorial Parish at the corner of Osborne Street and Arnold Avenue.

Following an opening prayer and remarks by Archbishop Richard Gagnon, worshippers followed a two-kilometre procession through the neighbourhood and back to the church.

It was the first Way of the Cross procession since the start of the pandemic. One was set to happen last year but a snowstorm cancelled those plans.

A crowd of people wearing jackets on a cool April morning walk along a city street.
People walk along Winnipeg's Osborne Street, following the path of Friday's Way of the Cross. (Travis Golby/CBC)

"It's great to be able to be back again. It's good to see people together like this celebrating but also walking the Way," said Ron Struch. 

Frances Petrowski said she values the ability to express her faith in public.

"In 2023, there's so many places in the world that don't get to. So I'm extremely, extremely grateful for that," she said, underscoring the importance of the day.

"It's everything, it's my life. Jesus gave his life for us, that I may have eternal life."

People walk, holding sheets of paper and singing. One woman, wearing a knitted headband, long coat and eyeglasses, smiles at the camera.
Frances Petrowski takes part in Friday's Way of the Cross walk in South Osborne. (Travis Golby/CBC)
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News
Corrections and clarifications|Submit a news tip|