Event to be held Tuesday, Wednesday in Henning

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

A group of Henning area residents will be doing their part to bring the real meaning behind the Easter celebration to life this week.

Photo by Chad Koenen
St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Henning will host the Living Stations of the Cross on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Local youth will perform the traditional Easter story. 

St. Edward’s Catholic Church will be hosting the “Living Stations of the Cross” on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. The story will bring the story of Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross to life, thanks to the help of a number of volunteers and members of the St. Edward’s Catholic Church youth in grades 7-12. 

The idea of the Living Stations of the Cross began in 2004 when Lyn Andrews brought the concept to the Henning area church. She had seen a similar production at St. Lawrence Church by Rush Lake, and wanted to make sure people knew the real reason for the Easter celebration. Ever since that first year, Andrews said the Living Stations of the Cross has been a popular addition to the church as the local youth get the opportunity to learn about Jesus’ journey to the cross in a unique way.

“It is so powerful,” she said. “The kids enjoy doing it and the learn so much about it. They learn about Jesus’ last journey.”

One unique aspect of the local performance is the youth get to pick out their own parts. While some of the youth question the importance of some of the lesser people in the performance, Andrews is quick to remind them that every person in the Easter story is important in their own way.

“I let the pick who they want. They pick 1, 2, 3 on who they think is the most important they want to play,” she said. “The girls that play the women weeping (sometimes) say I am just the weeping woman, and I say you don’t understand how important the weeping women actually were.”

The “Living Stations of the Cross” will take guests through the final days of the life of Jesus and tell the story about his death on the cross. Music will be provided by parishioners and individuals from the community. 

Inclement weather has made practicing a bit of a challenge this year as Andrews said the group typically practices each Wednesday beginning in February. This year some of those practices were moved to Sunday due to the weather. 

This year’s performance will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Henning. The event is free to attend and open to the public.