Hundreds of residents showed up Friday afternoon in northwest Santa Maria for the annual re-enactment of the Passion of Jesus Christ.
With adults and children filling the audience, St. John Neumann Catholic Church once again presented the Passion Play depicting the trial, suffering and death of Jesus Christ to mark Good Friday.
Some scenes were acted out on stages set up on church grounds before the participants and worshippers traveled the neighborhood near the church, led by actors depicting Roman soldiers and riding horses.
A pickup truck carrying the sound system accompanied walking worshippers along the route, while Santa Maria police motorcycle officers controlled vehicle traffic.
Throughout the presentation, conducted in Spanish, audience members periodically recorded parts of the re-enactment on their smartphones.
The Passion Play is a Lenten tradition for several Christian denominations, including members of the Catholic Church.
St. John Neumann Catholic Church and its youth group have hosted the Easter Week presentation for at least a decade.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
