St. Philip’s is taking church outside the building

“Jesus was out among the people. That is where we should be,” said the Rev. Michael Ruk, pastor of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, New Hope (Solebury Township).

In the time of COVID, the Church is forced to think in new ways which are creative and safer for present times.

Ruk’s reimagined Stations of the Cross makes this Lenten tradition more relevant to today and it reflects this area.

“The Stations of the Cross not only recount the suffering of Jesus’ last hours, but also connect us to the sufferings of our present time. We have all experienced so much grief and loss these last years through sickness, division, violence, and war,” Ruk said.

“We all need a place to share that grief in community. So, if you look at it that way, we see we need to do work on the environment, on hunger, on homelessness, on immigrants, on prejudice… These are the areas of concern we should pray over and act on, in our journey.”

So on Tuesday, April 4, the Tuesday of Holy Week, at 7 p.m., Ruk will conduct Stations of the Cross on Bridge Street. He will begin in Lambertville at the north corner of Bridge and Main streets. He will then stop at locations along the way, including the bridge itself, so he can say a prayer for the river’s ecological health and the community’s safety in living near it. He will end his procession on the New Hope side of the bridge.

The procession is free of charge and open to the public. You do not need to be a member of the parish, or a Christian, to participate. This quiet, reflective experience is sure to bring new meaning to preparing for Easter.

For information, visit www.stphilipsnewhope.org or email info@stphilipsnewhope.org.

Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.