DUMAGUETE CITY, March 31 (PNA) – Around a hundred members of the Seed of Love Charismatic Communities of the Dumaguete Cathedral parish successfully held a six-kilometer Via Crucis or the Stations of the Cross procession as an offering of sacrifice for all priests.

The Roman Catholic Church marks 2010 as the year of the priests and is encouraging prayers from the community for the clergy.

According to Negros Oriental Prosecutor Juditho Agan, Lay Coordinator of the Cathedral parish, the six-kilometer Way of the Cross this year started at the Saint Catherine of Alexandria Church and ended at the Cana Formation House in Barangay Calabnugan in nearby Sibulan town.

The Cana Formation House is a facility managed by the Seed of Love Charismatic Communities under the Diocese of Dumaguete.

Agan said the Stations of the Cross procession is a memorable experience as this is the first time that the group is holding this religious sacrifice in the parish.

At the beginning, there were some apprehensions about holding the exercise, but in the end, it was the symbol of what the Way of the Cross stood for that motivated the group to pursue it. He added that it wasn’t easy for the older members to walk at least six kilometers from Dumaguete to Sibulan under the scorching heat of the summer sun.

But they all believed that nothing is impossible with the power of the Lord because they were making the sacrifice for all priests in the Diocese and the Roman Catholic Church in its entirety.

Agan emphasized the need to offer prayers and sacrifice for the clergy especially with the dwindling number of secular priests in the Diocese.

He said he was also overwhelmed by the unexpected support from the communities from Barangay Camanjac and Calabnugan who prepared different root crops as snacks for the group.

Assistant Lay Coordinator Engr. Heriberto Elesterio added the six-kilometer walk through the Stations of the Cross of Jesus was also a challenge to younger generations to pray for the priests.