By Toni Jane Pallatto - St. Theresa School (Little Flower)
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Jesus, played by Marco Alberni, enters the church.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Pontius Pilate, played by Juan Diego Alvarez, condemns Jesus to death.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Veronica, played by Valentina Perez, wipes the face of Jesus.
CORAL GABLES | At the start of Holy Week, the third grade students of St. Theresa Schoolperformed the Living Stations of the Cross for the entire student body, parents, teachers and staff.
Their moving performance at the Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables prompted everyone to reflect on how Jesus carried a heavy cross and died to save us from our sins.
The Stations of the Cross is a special Lenten prayer that reminds us that Jesus sacrificed his life as the Lamb of God. For centuries, people have gone on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, walking down the same street where Jesus carried his cross. Although not there when Jesus carried his cross, the Stations of the Cross allows participants to reflect on Jesus' painful walk, his agonizing death and how this ultimate sacrifice impacted their own lives.
The third grade students performed this drama with care, reverence and kindness. Every station gave a narrative of what was happening, and a reflection on how to come close to Jesus to share in his journey. A concluding prayer helped to translate Jesus’ suffering to our everyday life.
For example, the prayer for the seventh station, when Jesus falls a second time, was: “Dear Jesus, when I try to do something and mess it up, help me to start over again as you did, and if somebody falls down or gets hurt, let me feel sorry for them and help them if I can.”
Third grade teachers Isabel Rodriguez, Elizabeth Paoli and Cristina Cuadrado, and their aide, Pauline Sanz, worked diligently to prepare the students for this performance. All who attended the service were deeply moved by its intensity. It was a beautiful way for the parish and school to enter the Triduum of Holy Week.
