For more than 150 years, people have flocked to the steps of Holy Cross-Immaculata Church on Good Friday. Each year, thousands quietly ascend the 90-plus steps atop Mt. Adams, pausing on each to reflect or say a prayer.
"It's a tradition that goes from generation to generation," explains Larry Cochran, a media consultant for the church. "I've been there when people have come and they've been praying the steps, and they will suggest that their grandmother and great grandmother and grandfather have done it before them."
Good Friday is the Christian remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The term "good" comes from the now obsolete usage meaning "pious" or "holy."
The custom of climbing the steps dates back to 1870. It happens every Good Friday, rain or shine. People even showed up in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the church officially canceling the event.
Holy Cross-Immaculata doesn't do much advertising, Cochran notes, and yet, every year, the faithful return.
"I think it's just tradition that is carried down from generation to generation," he reiterates.
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The ritual begins at midnight with the blessing of the steps. People will climb and pray throughout the day, with the church remaining opening for 24 hours — all day Friday. Most begin the climb at St. Gregory Street. However, some choose to begin all the way at the bottom of Mt. Adams, accessing the lower steps on Riverside Drive across from the Montgomery Inn Boathouse. The steps can also be accessed in the middle at Columbia Parkway.
Though Holy Cross-Immaculata is a Catholic parish, those who turn out each year represent varying faiths and beliefs.
Cochran recalls a particularly touching moment from 2022.
"Last year, we had a doctor who came over on his lunch break. He had just done surgery on a small child, and he came over and he wanted to give some extra prayerful thought to that child to hope for a successful procedure," he remembers. "I think it's because of the Easter holidays, people just wanted to give a little bit of extra emphasis to their prayerful life and their faithful life."
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For the parish, it's one of the biggest events of the year. Parishoners hand out coffee, serve breakfast and host a fish fry. The church is open for people to pray or reflect inside after climbing or to light candles; priests are available to offer sacraments and hear confession. There are also two Good Friday services at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
History of praying the steps
Holy Cross-Immaculata recounts the history of the annual Good Friday tradition:
The tradition of praying the steps began in the late 1850s when Archbishop Purcell asked people to climb the hillside, praying that enough money would be raised to build Immaculata Church. No one seems to know for certain why the tradition of praying the steps on Good Friday developed, but each year thousands of people from all 50 states and even international visitors of all faiths make a pilgrimage to the holy site.
For many area families, it is an annual tradition.
No matter the weather, area faithful climb the steps, one by one, from the base of the steps to the church.
In the early days, the faithful climbed a dirt path until wooden steps were built, followed by concrete steps in 1911. Today, those visiting the steps can choose to begin from one of three locations: the upper steps, middle steps, or lower steps.
The upper steps begin on St. Gregory Street just below the church entrance, and the middle steps begin on Columbia Parkway. The lower steps, which begin on Riverside Drive (formerly Eastern Avenue) across from the Montgomery Inn Boathouse, were repaired in 2009 and now feature wider steps, pedestrian-scaled lighting, and new landscaping and signage.
There is also an improved pedestrian overlook at the top of the steps, just outside the main entrance to Immaculata Church.
