MONTCLAIR, New Jersey (WABC) — Faith leaders and parishioners in New Jersey marked Good Friday with a day of action, embarking on a 10-mile pilgrimage to show their support for immigrants in detention.<\/p>\n
The group started in Montclair, stopped at several churches along the way and plans to end at Delaney Hall in Newark.<\/p>\n
Eyewitness News caught up with the group about five miles into their mission on the very meaningful day in the Christian faith community.<\/p>\n
“I think every Good Friday, Christians are called to ask, where do we stand in the face of suffering? And so this is our answer. It’s our way of showing our prayers with our feet,” said Rev. Katrina Forman.<\/p>\n
This is the approach to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, where inside, worshippers were marking Good Friday observances, and where Cardinal Joseph Tobin took time to address the cause, acknowledging the plight of those locked away in detention centers. He himself began Lent with a vigil at Delaney Hall.<\/p>\n
“God wants to crack open the stoniness of human hearts, our hearts and the hearts of people who, for political gain or just for fear, want to persecute people,” said Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Diocese of Newark. “And so, we don’t despair. The cross is leading us and is leading you. And we thank God for the light that you display before this city, and hopefully that light will penetrate the walls of Delaney Hall.”<\/p>\n
Among the clergy are parishioners, activists and concerned citizens who say it would be ungodly for them to ignore the pain of others, and this is a way to show support.<\/p>\n
“Absolutely, and it makes me feel good because you wonder what can I do? This is what I can do,” said a marcher named Patty when asked if this makes her feel like a part of something bigger.<\/p>\n
All of it is being done with a clear message.<\/p>\n
“Love God and love others, and it’s the same, to love God is to love others, and love others is to love God, and you can’t do one without the other,” said a marcher named Bindu.<\/p>\n
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