Holy Thursday Takes Place in Downtown
Downtown Rock Springs will once again be turned into a pilgrimage stroll on this coming Holy Thursday, April 1.
Occasionally called Maundy Thursday in some church denominations, Holy Thursday is the day before Good Friday and is three days before Easter. Many different Christian groups commemorate it as the day of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ and his apostles.
The Holy Thursday Downtown Religious Pilgrimage will begin at Noon, in front of the Broadway Theatre, 618 Broadway, in Downtown Rock Springs. The pilgrimage will last approximately one hour. During the ecumenical event, pastors from different area churches will proceed with pilgrimage participants from various denominations to different Downtown sites, including the Rock Springs Police Department and Rock Springs City Hall. The pastors will provide a brief Scripture reading, a brief prayer, and a short reflection lasting a few minutes at each stop. A crossing guard will assist participants to cross the streets safely, as there will be no blocking off city streets for the pilgrimage event. The final stop will be at the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency office, 603 South Main Street (the old Bunning Transfer Building).
“We are hoping for a good turnout of pilgrimage participants from different denominations representing the Rock Springs faith community,” said Chad Banks, Manager of the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency.
“The event is open to people of all faiths or no particular faith,” Banks added.The Rock Springs Main Street/URA is helping to promote the Downtown pilgrimage march. The annual event began in 2017. The event was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus but is being renewed this year.
Banks expressed appreciation for the clergy who have agreed to provide sermonettes. Pastors of over 30 local churches were invited, and several have expressed interest in helping to give brief reflections at the stopping sites. The entire event is organized in order for people on their Noon lunch breaks from work can attend, along with others who have the day free.
Rock Springs Main Street/URA Arts & Culture volunteer committee member, Paul Murray has been instrumental in preparing the fourth annual Holy Thursday Downtown Religious Pilgrimage.
“We expect the event to be highly successful in this fourth year,” Murray said. “The Holy Thursday Downtown Pilgrimage is a simple, reflective way to begin the holiest weekend on the Christian calendar.”
Murray continued to explain, “Participating pastors and pilgrims walking to the different sites will have a reflective, thought-provoking opportunity to consider how the Scriptures relate to everyday life in Downtown Rock Springs.”
“This is not intended to be a big mega-type production or taking a lot of time and effort on anyone’s part,” he noted. “It’s meant to be a simple reflection service at each stop which will give participants a better understanding of the interconnectedness between Scripture and Rock Springs,”
He concluded by saying, “We wanted to think of an event that would cater to anyone interested, including people who will be out of town on Easter weekend.”
According to Murray, there is a diversity of interests in our community.
“The Holy Thursday Pilgrimage is meant to attract people to Downtown,” he pointed out. “We are trying to have one or more events that will attract as many people as we can to our Downtown. And hopefully, they will come back to Downtown often.”
Banks agreed by saying, “We want to see people coming Downtown to shop, eat, and do business. These types of events such as Holy Thursday, Rods and Rails, the Halloween Stroll and so on are meant to get people to visit Downtown Rock Springs."
Further information about the event is available by contacting Paul Murray at 389-5351 or the URA at 352-1434.
