Walk starts Holy Week

Parishioners, bishop visit city churches on pilgrimage.

The Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades follows the Jubilee Cross down LaSalle Avenue on Sunday after an opening prayer at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, as he leads a pilgrimage from parish to parish in South Bend to mark the start of Holy Week.

Sean Malone has lived in South Bend for nearly all of his 16 years, but it wasn't until Sunday that he realized how big his hometown truly is.

"I didn't even know half these churches were here," said Malone, standing outside St. Stanislaus Church on North Brookfield Street.

Malone and a gathering of about 100, including The Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades, bishop of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese, took part in the Palm Sunday Walk that visited six South Bend churches as part of the official start of Holy Week, the seven days leading to the Christian holiday of Easter.

Starting at St. Joseph Church, near the East Race, the procession of children, teens and adults walked through downtown, stopping at the city's historic Catholic churches.

St. Patrick. St. Hedwig. St. Augustine. St. Stanislaus. Holy Cross Church.

At each stop, the participants were told a bit about each parish's history and the complex weaving of ethnic groups that arrived in the city.

But the walk wasn't really about local history; participants said they were making a pilgrimage of faith, praying through the Stations of the Cross at the first churches, and carrying palms -- the symbol of Palm Sunday -- through their final stops.

"It's a great way to start Holy Week," said 22-year-old Sara Morgan, who came with her husband and infant son. "To see all these people walking together in faith -- it's what this week is about."

Although the walk had been designed for teens and young adults, a survey of the crowd showed that all ages -- from the very young to the elderly -- were in attendance Sunday.

Linda Cleveland brought her 5-year-old daughter, Jessica, and 6-year-old son, Jeremy, to partake in the festivities at St. Stanislaus, where they attend weekly.

"We picked up with (the pilgrimage) on Washington Street," Cleveland said. "It's just been very neat to see."