CLEVELAND — Today is Good Friday, a solemn occasion for Christians around the world.
According to religious tradition, today marks the day Jesus Christ was crucified and suffered death under Pontius Pilate, only to rise again days later (Easter). Denominations across the globe usually mark the occasion with fasting, prayer, and even church services, although officially it is the only day Mass is not held.
Things are certainly different this year, as stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic have brought things to a standstill. While religious institutions are exempt from many of these orders in the United States, most have decided to abide by the guidelines and suspend public gatherings.
This means people will have to get creative this Holy Week, and one local member of the clergy did just that: This morning, Co-Presiding Archbishop of the Worldwide Anglican Church, Dr. Christine Mercy Johnson decided to walk from her home on Cleveland's Edgewater Drive all the way down to Edgewater Park while carrying the "Old Rugged Cross."
A native of England, Archbishop Johnson is the highest ranking female clergy member in the world. Find out more about her work here.