A procession of the Stations of the Cross was conducted by members of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral starting from Mulinuu to Mulivai in commemoration of Good Friday.

The Stations of the Cross depicts Jesus Christ’s journey on the day of his crucifixion. The congregation re-enacted this accompanied by a prayer service in the early morning.

Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Samoa, Alapati Lui Mataeliga said: “Good Friday as we call it, we usually have the Stations of the Cross as we witnessed this morning.”

“We try to walk with Jesus as he walked in the way of the cross which was not an easy thing, he was not going for picnic, and he was going to die especially when he died for us not for Himself especially because he was not a sinner.

“In the supreme manifestation of God’s love and mercy for the world we celebrate and commemorate these events in the life of Jesus to help us remember who we are, where we came from and where we are going.

“Many things happen in life that steals us away from the path to God, yet He is always inviting us to return to his heart,” he added.

He also told the Samoa Observer that in the afternoon they perform a celebration of the passion of the Lord where they read the stories of Jesus’s suffering and leading to his death.

“We remember this day that Jesus offered his life for us and ask God to forgive us.

“We also have the veneration of the cross; of course the cross is important to Christianity - even in Samoa we all have great respect and reverence for the cross because it used to be the tree of death with Jesus dying on the cross and now becomes the tree of life which is a celebration in the afternoon, so people go and venerate the cross as a sign of respect.”