Last Easter Fr Colin McLean staged a contemporary Way of the Cross. He recalls how it brought the reality of Jesus’ suffering and death to a deeper level for parishioners.
In 1972, at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines in Manila, I saw my first version of the rock opera, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, which starred Boy Camara as Jesus. It was also the first time I had seen any presentation of Jesus wearing trousers rather than a biblical robe. I was totally captivated.
Little did I know then that I would direct a modern, street version of the Way of the Cross almost yearly from 1974 to 2024 in Manila in the Philippines, in Melbourne in Australia and in Salvador in Brazil.
My reasoning for maintaining the modern dress was twofold. If Jesus was born now instead of more than two thousand years ago, he would probably be wearing jeans and a t-shirt. In Matthew’s Last Judgment text, the king (Jesus) utters the words: “Insofar as you did it to one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” You did not have to see Jesus in that person, just helping someone in need was enough to guarantee the Kingdom. So Jesus today sees himself in each one of us and in the clothes we wear today.
In August 2023, I celebrated some masses in St Therese’s parish, Essendon. I broached the subject of presenting a Way of the Cross in the streets of the parish on Good Friday 2024 with the parish priest, Fr John Hannon. He gave me the go-ahead, provided that I organise the cast. That would not be an easy task considering the scarcity of youth at Sunday masses.
One Sunday, for the homily, I showed some slides of the Way of the Cross I had directed in the 1980s in the parishes of Northcote and East Brighton. At the end of mass, I distributed a written survey to gauge what parishioners of St Therese’s and Our Lady of the Nativity parishes would think about such a modern Way of the Cross. The feedback I got was very positive, so I decided to give it a try, though I was wondering how I was going to start organising a cast.
Last Easter Fr Colin McLean staged a contemporary Way of the Cross.
At the parish’s 10:30 mass on another Sunday, I was sitting in the pew behind a family of five, the mother and father, two sons and a daughter. Jesus must have given me a nudge because as the mass concluded, I reached forward and tapped the father on the shoulder and asked, “Could I talk to you and your family for a few minutes after mass?” He agreed and I met them outside the church. When I told them I was looking at the possibility of doing a Way of the Cross in St Therese’s parish, they told me they had seen my slides and were very impressed with the idea of a modern version.
That’s where it started! So, Robert, Jenny and their three children became my first cast members. They then recruited others. However, we still didn’t have a ‘Jesus’. I had approached three possibles, but for one reason or another they couldn’t do it.
It was getting closer to Holy Week when Robert informed me they had found a guy prepared to play the role of Jesus. I was relieved. The following Sunday I was at 10:30 mass at St Therese’s when a young man walked in and sat a few pews in front of me. His appearance and demeanour left me thinking, “He would make a good Jesus”, but I couldn’t approach him, because Robert had told me they already had found a guy.
After mass, I joined Robert, Jenny and their family outside in front of the church. To my amazement, Robert beckoned the young man I had seen at mass to come over. He was going to play ‘Jesus’ in the Way of the Cross. It was all falling into place. Realising that we could only rehearse after the 10:30 Sunday mass, due to weekend commitments of most of the cast, we decided on narrations rather than dialogues. As it happened, we were able to rehearse only twice before Good Friday.
“Quite a number of people were reduced to tears.”
On Good Friday morning, some of the cast were nervous, because they had only had two rehearsals, and especially when they saw that more people than we had expected had turned up to accompany the Way of the Cross. But we need not have worried. All the feedback from those who accompanied the Way of the Cross on the streets on Good Friday last year were overwhelmingly positive. Quite a number of people were reduced to tears.
As well as the street version, Fr John Hannon led the traditional Stations of the Cross inside the church for those who preferred a more traditional approach, and for those with less mobility who could not walk the route of the outdoor presentation. Both options of the Way of the Cross brought the reality of Jesus’ suffering and death to a deeper level for all of us who participated.
Fr Colin McLean is Australian. He began his missionary life in the Philippines. He was appointed to Brazil in 1984 and worked with African-Brazilians for over 30 years. He served the people of Tide Island and other island communities off Salvador in northeast Brazil before retiring to Australia.
The Cast.