This year’s Good Friday Children’s Service at St Mary’s Church on Ryde High Street attracted a sizeable congregation of both children and adults, continuing its year-on-year growth.
The significance of Good Friday was shared as children walked around the church, stopping at each of the fourteen Stations of the Cross.
These Stations, which are paintings depicting Christ’s Passion and death on the Cross, were introduced to the wider Christian Church by followers of St Francis in the Middle Ages, when pilgrimage to the holy sites became more difficult.
Each Station reflects different moments from Christ’s journey to Calvary, with the service combining readings, meditation and prayer to help children understand the meaning of the crucifixion.
The service concluded with each child lighting a candle before the altar to represent the risen light of Christ, looking ahead to Easter Sunday.
The congregation also sang the hymn ‘This is the day that the Lord has made’ to bring the service to a close.
Great to see, let’s never forget
Amen.