Cardinal Francisco Robles, archbishop of Monterrey, presided over the event, accompanied by (left to right) Br Noel Lozano, LC, and Legionary Fathers Alejandro Ortega, John Devlin, and José E. Martínez.

April 7, 2009. This year, Regnum Christi youth in two cities—Monterrey and Atlanta— took the initiative of preparing Via Crucis events in their own cities to help people gain a deeper experience of Christ’s passion and death.

Cardinal blesses Via Crucis in Monterrey, Mexico

On Saturday, March 21, Regnum Christi youth organized a Via Crucis in the baseball stadium in San Pedro, Garza García, in the city of Monterrey. The Via Crucis included readings and the traditional prayers of the Church, interspersed with testimonies from people who have gone through difficult situations. At the end, a giant cross in the center of the stadium was illuminated with torches.

About 5,000 people attended, and 12 Legionary priests were on hand to hear confessions.

To promote the event, the youth distributed 60,000 flyers throughout the city, placing 50 promotional posters on parish bulletin boards and advertising throughout the city.

Cardinal Francisco Robles, archbishop of Monterrey presided over the event and gave his blessing to the participants, thanking the organizers and inviting everyone to invite more young people to participate in these sorts of activities.

Witnesses at the Via Crucis in Atlanta

On April 5, 2009 (Palm Sunday), Regnum Christi youth in Atlanta organized a Via Crucis

	The flyer that the young men’s section put together to promote the event.

in St Andrew’s parish in Roswell, Georgia. The event began with a welcome from David Center, a Regnum Christi coworker, who invited everyone to live the Via Crucis as a true prayer.

Each station of the cross then unfolded with a Gospel reading, an excerpt from The Passion of the Christ projected onto a large screen, a few verses of a Lenten song, a meditation, a closing prayer. Three young men also gave their testimonies about how they found Christ more deeply through suffering or through the experience of charity.

One of the young men spoke about his own deep conversion from years of drugs, drinking, and criminal behavior. It was when he had hit his lowest point, sitting in a solitary confinement cell in prison, that he saw his life flash before his eyes from God’s perspective and realized how much his sins had hurt Christ. In that moment, he gave his life over to God and had a profound experience of divine mercy, as well as a calling to help others discover Christ more deeply. He is currently a theology student at a Catholic college in the area.

Another young man, Jin Kim, spoke about the experience of coming to study at Pinecrest Academy from Korea as an exchange student changed the course of his life.

“I saw Christ in the family I stayed with, and also in my teachers and friends. I went to Church every Sunday with my host family, and it was my favorite thing to

	Jin Kim (center) with two friends from Pinecrest Academy.

do,” he said with a cheerful smile. His decision to become Catholic soon followed, and after weeks of RCIA classes, he is joining the Catholic Church this Easter.

“I have to call this a miracle, I guess. Since I received so much grace and love from Christ over these three years, I wanted to share this love with others, so I’ve decided to become a coworker next year.”

Another coworker, Enrique Samson, shared his own experience of how Christ came to meet him through suffering. After breaking both of his legs in a dirt bike accident, he found himself totally helpless and dependent on others to take care of him. It was then his faith came to life, and the eventual decision to give a year as a coworker was in part because of a promise he had made to God during that time. Since then, he has given two years as a coworker.

The Via Crucis is a living story of generosity, sacrifice, and charity. As the youth in Monterrey and Atlanta showed by their apostolic zeal and by their own witness of responding to grace, the cross of Christ is still bearing fruits today.