Jesus Leon was 3 years old when his parents first rolled him up Sentinel Peak on Good Friday, in a procession re-enacting Jesus Christ's carrying of the cross. It was the first year for a small group.
Forty-one years later, Leon again participated in the annual procession. With him were his wife, Mary Ann Leon, their three children, three foster children and two grandsons.
Like for many other Tucson families, the Good Friday carrying of the cross up "A" Mountain is a family affair.
"I want my kids to do it too," said Isabel Leon, Jesus' eldest daughter and the mother of Richard and Rene, two rambunctious brothers who were pushed up the road in their strollers.
The Leon family, parishioners of Santa Cruz Catholic Church, has made the annual procession a tradition out of their religious faith. They walked to give thanks for their blessings and to pray for those who can not walk.
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"I say our prayers are answered a lot," said Mary Ann Leon, who works for the Pascua Yaqui Nation.
In the procession, an 18-foot-tall white cross is carried horizontally by the participants. The group stops to recite the 12 Stations of the Cross and to pray.
For the participants, the walk is a reminder of Jesus Christ's sacrifice.
"'Do this in memory of me,' " Jesus Leon said, reciting the words of Christ to his disciples at their Passover meal. "That is basically what I do," he added.
But the Leon family also participates in the procession to support David Herrera, who began the effort in 1969 with the group Los Dorados, Spanish for the Golden Ones.
Herrera continues to coordinate the annual rite but because of his age, he doesn't make the walk.
"I do it for Dave, too," said Leon, whose father played baseball with Herrera when they were young.
Many of the participants are connected by family, church or neighborhood. There were plenty of hugs and kisses exchanged by the participants before the procession began. The mood was festive.
But once the participants hoisted the cross on their shoulders, the crowd grew quiet with just a smattering of hushed conversations. The procession is a serious matter, where murmured prayers were made in the glow of the evening sunset.
"God has given me many miracles," Frances Flores said in Spanish. She, like Jesus Leon, has participated in the Good Friday walk since its inception.
One of the miracles involves her husband, Frank Flores, who was seriously ill 26 years ago. At one point he was in a wheelchair and was on kidney dialysis, she said.
Friday, Frank Flores, no longer in a wheelchair, was directing traffic as cars lined the road up the hill.
Frances Flores said her husband's recovery was God's will.
"I have to give thanks to him," said Frances, who married her husband two months after the maiden procession four decades ago.
The Leon family said they were thankful for much but had prayers for family members, including a 3-year-old niece who was recently diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.
Once the procession reached the top and erected the cross facing south, the Leon family continued another tradition. Jesus Leon and his 21-year-old son, Jesus Leon Jr., spent Friday and Saturday nights on "A" Mountain to watch over the cross.
For the younger Jesus, a mariachi trumpet player, the tradition is a welcomed weekend. He said it's an opportunity for his family to strengthen their bonds and to honor their faith.
"It's not because we have to," said the young Jesus. "It's because we believe in it so strongly."
Ernesto "Neto" Portillo Jr. is editor of La Estrella de Tucsón. He can be reached at 573-4187 or eportillo@azstarnet.com
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