Via Crucis at Bonifacio High Street

For Catholics, particularly in a country as predominantly Catholic as ours, the Lenten Season has been highly regarded as a special occasion to commemorate the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

To commemorate this occasion, one gets to witness a number of interesting Lenten traditions that are being practiced. One of which is the Via Crucis or the Way of the Cross, where one gets to go on some path and do a stopover on each “station” which portrays an event in Christ’s Passion and Death. (and in some versions, His Resurrection) These stations are portrayed in various ways depending where you wish to do the Via Crucis: it could be through paintings, mosaics, life-sculptures, or perhaps marked by simple crosses along the way.

That being said, having a Via Crucis in the middle of a commercial complex that does not even have a presence of a church nearby is something one might consider outrageous. But the folks of the high-end shopping area that is the Bonifacio High Street have done just that: transforming the open green space in the middle of the complex into an open-air walk of faith called The Walkway.

But this is not just an ordinary Via Crucis experience; it imbibes a refreshingly unique take on a tradition some dismiss as out of tune with the current times. Numerous artists worked on each of the 14 stations with their unique interpretation of the significance and the reflections to be made on each episode of Jesus’ life.

		Via Crucis at Bonifacio High Street VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Their interpretations could be considered as avant-garde, but it is more of a form of “interactive art” that invites viewers to not only look but participate as way of making the artwork “complete” as far as being able to convey its meaning is concerned.

While some who could be called “traditionalists” would disapprove of the way the Stations of the Cross are being depicted in this part of the metropolis, one has to commend the efforts of these artists in bringing the Catholic faith to the modern times the best way they know how and be able to appeal to the modern audience that has been accused many times of not minding much the matters of faith.

A meaningful season of faith to everyone regardless of what religion or belief you subscribe to.

“Walkway” is a special Lenten project of the group Church Simplified, which aims to, in their words, “strip the church down to the basics” and make the Christian simple to understand. You can check out their website  www.churchsimplified.com.

© The Urban Roamer