Christians mark a life-changing event

About 300 people silently made their way from Holy Trinity Tauranga to St Mary Immaculate in a silent procession of witness yesterday morning.

Following an annual Easter tradition, the group of worshippers from St Peter's, St John's, St George's and the Parish of St Thomas Aquinas stopped throughout the journey to sing, pray and remember different aspects of Jesus' last days on Earth and his resurrection.

Celebrated across the world by more than two billion people, Easter Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday.

Christians commemorate the passion, or suffering, and the death of Jesus Christ.

Many Christians spend the day fasting, praying, repenting, and meditating on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross.

Tauranga's St Mary Immaculate parish priest, Father Mark Field, said the annual procession from Holy Trinity Tauranga to St Mary Immaculate on Cameron Rd was a pilgrimage.

"It's a sacred journey, a re-enactment of the journey of Jesus to his death on Calvary 2000 years ago. Easter is the celebration of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Although his congregation was filled with about 300 people yesterday morning, their 3pm Friday service was the biggest one for Easter weekend, he said.

Father Mark said it was important to find ways to find commonality between different parishes, hence the combined service yesterday morning.

"It's really important we find ways to share the faith we have in common. There are differences between the churches - in beliefs and practices - but there is also a lot we have in common as well."

Tauranga resident Gary Grant said Easter was a time of remembrance of when Jesus died.

"When Christ died on the cross, I died with him," he told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend outside Holy Trinity Tauranga.

The 78-year-old said he started going along to church 50 years ago after "God clearly spoke to me in a dream in June 1959".

"When Jesus rose from the dead, I spiritually rose with him, God sees me as he sees Christ.

"He said, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."