Through the Lens
Macao Magazine visual journeys
![Sé Cathedral for St Augustine’s Church Sé Cathedral for St Augustine's Church](http://macaomagazine.net/wp-content/plugins/revslider/public/assets/assets/dummy.png)
![Bishop Stephen Lee Bun sang leads the procession, carrying with him a relic of the True Cross Bishop Stephen Lee Bun sang leads the procession, carrying with him a relic of the True Cross](http://macaomagazine.net/wp-content/plugins/revslider/public/assets/assets/dummy.png)
![The procession crosses Leal Senado Square on its return journey to St Augustine’s Church The procession crosses Leal Senado Square on its return journey to St Augustine’s Church](http://macaomagazine.net/wp-content/plugins/revslider/public/assets/assets/dummy.png)
![Young Catholic girls, dressed all in white, scatter flower petals along the procession route Young Catholic girls, dressed all in white, scatter flower petals along the procession route](http://macaomagazine.net/wp-content/plugins/revslider/public/assets/assets/dummy.png)
![A young woman takes on the role of Veronica, who used her veil to wipe the sweat from Jesus’s brow as he carried the cross A young woman takes on the role of Veronica, who used her veil to wipe the sweat from Jesus’s brow as he carried the cross](http://macaomagazine.net/wp-content/plugins/revslider/public/assets/assets/dummy.png)
![The solemn procession passes St Dominic’s Church The solemn procession passes St Dominic’s Church](http://macaomagazine.net/wp-content/plugins/revslider/public/assets/assets/dummy.png)
![At each Station of the Cross, ‘Veronica’ sings “O Vos Omnes” and presents her veil, now emblazoned with the face of Christ At each Station of the Cross, ‘Veronica’ sings “O Vos Omnes” and presents her veil, now emblazoned with the face of Christ](http://macaomagazine.net/wp-content/plugins/revslider/public/assets/assets/dummy.png)
![Catholics turn out in the thousands to see the procession wend its way through the historic centre of Macao Catholics turn out in the thousands to see the procession wend its way through the historic centre of Macao](http://macaomagazine.net/wp-content/plugins/revslider/public/assets/assets/dummy.png)
![The statue passes Dom Pedro V Theatre as it departs St Augustine’s Church for the Sé Cathedral, where it will remain overnight The statue passes Dom Pedro V Theatre as it departs St Augustine’s Church for the Sé Cathedral, where it will remain overnight](http://macaomagazine.net/wp-content/plugins/revslider/public/assets/assets/dummy.png)
Annual Catholic procession returns
In February, after a three-year hiatus, thousands of Catholics marked the first weekend of Lent by marching between St Augustine’s Church to the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady (commonly known as the Sé Cathedral). The annual Procession of the Passion of Our Lord, the God Jesus sees a statue of Christ carrying a cross through the city’s streets over two days.
En route, worshippers trace the 14 Stations of the Cross. These depict poignant moments Jesus experienced before his crucifixion, as described in the Bible. The Macao Public Security Police Force Band accompanied the devotees while playing a solemn march. Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang, appointed head of the Diocese of Macao in 2016, led the procession alongside fellow members of the clergy. The holy men wore purple gowns, as purple is the colour of Lent – a 40-day period beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday, where the Catholic faithful focus on Jesus’s suffering before celebrating his resurrection.
Listed as part of Macao’s Intangible Heritage, the Passion of Our Lord, the God Jesus was instituted by Augustinian friars in 1708. The event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, 2021 and 2022.