Montreal’s cherished Good Friday Way of the Cross faces possible last march as Quebec’s Bill 9 threatens public displays of faith.
Newsroom (30/03/2026 Gaudium Press )It was on a quiet Good Friday many years ago, in the cobblestone heart of Old Montreal, that John Zucchi experienced a moment he has never forgotten. Amid the hushed rhythm of faithful footsteps, he noticed a mother and daughter observing a small crowd moving solemnly through the streets.
“The daughter asked her mother, ‘What is this?’” Zucchi recalled. “The mother explained that it was a procession remembering Jesus and His death. The girl stopped and simply asked, ‘Who is Jesus?’”
That innocent question — simple yet piercing — has stayed with Zucchi, the national director of Communion and Liberation (CL) Canada. It captures what he believes these annual Way of the Cross processions accomplish: a public witness to faith that invites curiosity, reflection, and silent communion.
Yet, as the 41st Way of the Cross returns to the streets of Montreal this Good Friday, April 3, its long-standing path through the city could be nearing its end. Quebec’s proposed Bill 9, which would require groups to obtain a permit to pray in public, now looms large over one of Montreal’s most cherished spiritual traditions.
A law that could silence prayer
Still in committee for clause-by-clause review, Bill 9 is part of an ongoing conversation about Quebec’s secular character. While its supporters claim it ensures neutrality in public spaces, critics argue it risks suppressing basic freedoms.
Zucchi and his team are aware of the legislation but remain measured in their response. “The city has always given us permission, the police force has always been really good to us,” he said. “Even if this law is in the background, we will follow the rules and go from there. Our gesture in no way intends to affront the government.”
Archbishop Christian Lépine, who will again lead this year’s procession, has been outspoken in his opposition to Bill 9 since its introduction. In 2025, he warned that “to forbid public prayer would be somewhat like forbidding thought itself.” He argued that the proposal contradicts the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Quebec’s own Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, and even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
For now, though, the Way of the Cross proceeds as planned — a quiet act of endurance against the backdrop of provincial politics. “As Archbishop Lépine always says, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” Zucchi said. “We plan to keep this a yearly Good Friday tradition in Montreal.”
From Milan to Montreal: A tradition of presence
The Way of the Cross hosted by Communion and Liberation began decades ago in Milan, Italy, founded by CL’s Fr. Luigi Giussani. When it arrived in Montreal in 1996, just 20 people gathered in a rainy Parc Angrignon to walk and pray together. That first procession laid the foundation for what would become a defining moment in the city’s Good Friday landscape.
“In the early 2000s, we moved it into the heart of the city as a gesture of love toward Montreal,” Zucchi explained. The route now begins at Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, passes by Notre-Dame Basilica, St. Patrick’s Basilica, and Place Ville Marie, and ends at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral.
Unlike traditional 14-station devotions, the CL version weaves together five to eight stops that combine prayer, readings from the Passion, and excerpts from the French poet Charles Péguy, set to music from Renaissance compositions to modern choral pieces.
Mark Basik, who directs the CL Choir, described the music as integral to the event’s atmosphere. “Just last night we practiced ‘Eram Quasi Agnus,’ where Jesus is being led to His death,” he said. “The music introduces us into the drama of what’s happening here.”
A movement growing in silence
Attendance has surged in recent years — from hundreds before the pandemic to roughly 1,000 participants in 2025, not counting onlookers who join spontaneously from the sidewalks. “Every year I think there will be fewer, and every year there are more,” Zucchi said with a laugh.
Despite the growing crowd, the most striking feature of the procession is its silence. No slogans, no banners — just the rhythmic sound of feet, the occasional hymn, and the stillness of reflection amid the hum of the city.
For longtime participant Paula Celani, that quiet has carried deep personal meaning since she first attended in 1996. “I remember thinking, I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said. “Each year it’s become more profound for me. At this point, it’s almost an urgent need.”
Holding on to what matters
For Zucchi, the Way of the Cross is not about protest or spectacle but presence — a witness to faith that finds meaning in a world often busy looking elsewhere. “What does it mean to pray?” he asked. “Is walking in silence prayer? Yes, I think it is. Even when Christ seems absent, His presence can be felt even more greatly.”
As Good Friday approaches once again, the procession moves forward — quietly, steadfastly — through Montreal’s streets, as it has for 41 years. Whether future paths will require permits remains uncertain, but the act itself endures: hundreds walking together, remembering, asking, and praying, even if only in silence.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Catholic Register
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