Silent procession with the Holy Wood through downtown Dordrecht. The procession will walk from the reformed Grote Kerk to the Roman Catholic Antoniuskerk on the Burgemeester De Raadtsingel. On the way there will be a short stop at the Lutheran Trinitatiskapel on the Vriesestraat and the Reformed Wilhelminakerk on the Blekersdijk. Thus, this procession has a strong ecumenical character.
The Holy Wood are splinters of the execution cross of Christ. This so-called cross relic was already venerated in Dordrecht in the Middle Ages. Then it stood in the (then Roman Catholic) Grote Kerk, then called Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk. The question of whether the splinters actually came from the real cross cannot be determined with certainty. Nor is that important. What matters is that Christians, of whatever denomination, know one another to be united under the cross of Christ. Christians believe that in Christ God has shared human life with us. In his love for us, God goes to extremes, up to and including death! Christ's resurrection, three days after his death, teaches us that death does not triumph over love. This is what Christians want to bear witness to, in all their vulnerability. It is an important witness, especially in this time of war and oppression. For many, often innocent people have a cross to bear! Therefore, non-Christians are also more than welcome to walk with us. The procession is walked in silence and begins at 2:45 p.m. with a short prayer in the Great Church. The procession itself lasts about an hour.
Be welcome!
