It's a tradition that's more than 150 years old: praying the steps at Holy Cross - Immaculata Church in Mt. Adams.
Every Good Friday, thousands quietly ascend the 90-plus steps atop Mt. Adams, pausing on each to reflect, say a prayer, or meditate.
"We don't really do a lot of publicity," says Larry Cochran, the church's media coordinator. "It's really about the generations and generations of families that come back each year. I've talked to a number of pilgrims as they finish their prayerful walk up the steps and they will tell me that their great great grandmother did it and then their great grandmother and then their mother. It's a tradition that seems to live on within families."
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."
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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.
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.
"There are people who do come all the way from the bottom — right there at what used to be Eastern Avenue and now it's called Riverside Drive — but that is a minority by far," Cochran says. "I would say 99.5% start on St. Gregory Street and the other 0.5% would start either all the way at the bottom or right there at the Columbia Parkway starting point. Back in the old days before they had the [incline] up the hill, that's where everyone started. But when they built the transportation to get up the hill, then that's when they started praying from the bottom of the steps, and that's been the more popular route."
Though Holy Cross-Immaculata is a Catholic parish, those who turn out each year represent varying faiths and beliefs.
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For the parish, it's one of the biggest events of the year. Parishioners 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 3 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.
