DALTON, Ga. — During the last four weeks, Gabriel Mejia prepared physically and spiritually for one of the most challenging and humbling experiences of his life.
For the third time, the 29-year-old played Jesus Christ during the annual re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross in St. Joseph Catholic Church, organized by the church’s youth group.
“It’s something very big,” he said as he worked on the 100-pound cross he was about to carry.
“I can’t explain with words the emotions I feel when I’m carrying the cross,” he added. “(And) it doesn’t get any easier.”
Every year, thousands of area Catholics gather outside the steps of the church for a two-hour journey through the 14 Stations of the Cross — where Jesus was condemned, where he met his mother, where his face was wiped by Veronica and where he was nailed to the cross, among others.