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Brighton Residents Carry the Cross of Jesus Christ

Photos/ Shannon Garcia

BRIGHTON CHURCH EMBRACES TRADITION

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People who congregate at New Hope Ministries in Brighton gathered mid Holy Saturday morning, according to the Christian calendar. They didn’t pay attention to the traditional celebration of Easter in which kids search and collect easter eggs This group of people left around noon to tour the streets of Brighton carrying the cross of Jesus Christ.

This Christian congregation has the custom of celebrating the traditional procession of the cross. Since opening their church doors in 2016, New Hope Ministries has been celebrating Holy Saturday by gathering outside their church on Brighton Boulevard. Over there, they walk the cross. Different parishioners take turns carrying it; while other people who attend the procession carry posters with inspiring messages for the community.

“Our purpose as pastors is to remember what the true meaning of Easter is and that is the resurrection of Jesus. We don’t want anyone to lose the real meaning. After all the things that have been going on, we want to be edifying”, says Desiree Luna, who joins the work of the Christian ministry that her husband, León Luna, is in charge of.

Accompanied by the residents of the city

“Forty of our parishioners took to the streets of Brighton. The procession was accompanied by music, prayers and interactions with members of the community who we’d run into. This experience is something that allows us to feel closer to our neighbors and with the religious beliefs of our community. We often pray for the people we meet. Those encounters are amazing,” she explains.

In the six years that the church has been serving God and its city, its purpose and mission has been to provide a safe space for the people of Brighton. “We want to continue providing a safe and community space in which those who share our values are welcome. Therefore, we are proud to carry on the tradition of the walking of the cross of Jesus Christ every year,” she stated.

“Our focus is to return to Jesus Christ and receive the free gift of life and love that He gave us. We just want to bring light back to our city.” At times like this, it’s nice to have a beacon of hope. In this Christian ministry they welcome with open arms whoever wants to join. They hope that many more people will participate in the Holy Week procession of 2023. “We want to feel closer to our neighbors in Brighton,” she concluded.