Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is a huge holiday in Mexico and particularly in destinations like Puerto Peñasco where families from all over Mexico gather to enjoy the first bloom of Spring and the warming Sea of Cortez. This means a big influx of tourists, a lot of traffic, and general fun in the sun.
St. Joseph’s Chapel in La Choya has, in the past, observed the Christian traditions which are at the root of the holiday; but the Chapel’s proximity to the dirt road into Choya makes it difficult to maintain a reverent atmosphere. So, this year the weeklong services will take place at Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Church on Avenida Pino Suarez between Calle 27 and 28.
The only services for Lent and Easter at St. Joe’s this year will be the Stations of the Cross every Friday at 4 and bilingual Easter Sunday Mass on April 20 at 9 a.m.
Stations of the Cross, or the Via Dolorosa (Way of Suffering), take participants through 14 stages that Jesus walked on the day of his Crucifixion. At each stage, from his sentencing to his death and entombment, a passage is read which links his suffering with the challenges many suffer today.
This service is open to any and all who want to walk those steps in reflection. To reach St. Joseph’s Chapel, take the paved road past the Sandy Beach Resorts and the dirt road past Wrecked at the Reef. As you wind toward Cholla Bay, the church is on the right and clearly marked.
PHOTO CAPTION The 14 Stations of the Cross at St. Joseph’s Chapel in La Choya are marked by artwork from New Mexico artist Marie Romero Cash.
