From the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in downtown Brooklyn and across the Brooklyn Bridge, hundreds of Christians walked the Way of the Cross on the morning of Good Friday, their steps symbolizing the tortuous path the faithful believe Jesus Christ suffered while walking to his death, the cross he would be nailed to carried on his back. 

Louis Giovino is with Community Liberation, the organization that's been hosting the Way of the Cross event for twenty-four years now. 

"It's an event that has huge significance for Christians," he said. "It's a central tenet of their faith." 

That tenet is that Christ died on Good Friday, rose from the dead two days later, on what is now Easter Sunday, and was the Messiah or savior prophesied in the Old Testament. 

For many, the humid spring air Friday morning as they entered Manhattan was a perfect backdrop for prayer and meditation, with many thinking about how the world could be better, and some seeking comfort from a week of wrenching news. 

"With the fire in Notre Dame and the horrible floods and all that's happened in the world, this is where I need to be today," said Doreen Quaranto of Easthampton, who used to live in the city, and traveled in. 

"I walk the way of hope, and that's what Christ signifies to us," said Giselle Burnett, who brought her daughter Gabriella. 

The crowd made a few stops to mark key moments in Christ's journey to his death, including the former World Trade Center site. The final stop was St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church on Barclay Street in Lower Manhattan, where hymns were sung, and a final short sermon and prayer punctuated the three-hour trek. 

Among the crowd of hundreds was 81-year-old Corinne Destephan of Bayside. It was her first time walking the Way of the Cross.

"It's taxing, I'm tired. I'll be honest, I'm tired," said Destephan. "I said, 'It's time. I have to get this in before I go.'"

After leaving St. Peter's, she said, her mission was to find a good meal, which was fitting. Good Friday also marks the end of a period of self-sacrifice and penance for Christians of various sects that's known as Lent. That’s a 40-day period that honors the 40 days of fasting Jesus Christ was said to have endured in the desert.