Rosary for Life @11 a.m. in Glendale
The annual Rosary will be held outside of the Glendale Planned Parenthood facility, which will be among nearly 100 locations where some form of prayer is taking place as part of the Pro-Life Action League’s Way of the Cross for Victims of Abortion. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted will lead the Glendale prayer.
“Good Friday marks the bleak day that Jesus suffered and died on the Cross as an innocent victim,” remarked Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League and national coordinator of the event. “Two thousand years later, innocent unborn children made in His image are suffering and dying every day through abortion. Through our Way of the Cross prayer vigil, we forge a spiritual link between Jesus on the Cross and the unborn victims of abortion.”
Scheidler observed, “We hear cries for social justice all around us—and we should heed them all. Christ identified Himself with the prisoner, the homeless, the immigrant. But He also identified Himself with the unborn when he became incarnate as an unborn child. No matter how many poor and downtrodden people we help, this will never be a truly just and compassionate society until every unborn child is welcomed into the human family.”
Stations of the Cross uplifting the homeless community @5:30 p.m. in Phoenix
André House invites the faithful to join staff and volunteers for its Holy Week “Stations of the Cross” pilgrimage through the downtown homeless community. Look for the cross, symbolic of Christ’s lasts days and journey to crucifixion, outside of the Arizona State Capital on Good Friday to begin the journey.
Stations of the Cross begin at 5:30 p.m. in the main 17th Avenue parking lot and continues at poignant stations nearby including “The Zone,” a present day Calvary for many. The walk is not a dry history but a living witness to the ways in which Christ continues to be condemned and crucified in His people, an André House press release said. Staff invites the community to reflect upon where else Christ is crucified today.
Other stops or “stations” along the way include the Human Services Campus that houses CASS (county shelter), Lodestar Day Resource Center and St. Vincent de Paul. There is also a stop at André House. All are locations that provide services to people experiencing poverty and homelessness. Included are stops at locations that house systems known to put up barriers to those who want to escape poverty and homelessness. The walk will loop back around to the State Capital.
There will also be Holy Thursday “Washing of the Feet” at André House Hospitality Center, 213 S. 11th Ave. These washings are intimate moments where there is a unique opportunity to serve Andre House guests by taking care of and washing their feet before they enter for dinner. Shifts are 4:30-6:30 p.m. March 29 and a handful of slots might still be available.
