BATON ROUGE — In downtown Baton Rouge, Bishop Michael Duca led parishioners in the annual Way of the Cross on Friday.

The procession was hosted by the Catholic Charities of the Diocese and began at the St. Joseph Cathedral. Those in attendance traveled a 14-station route through the State Capitol grounds before eventually returning to the cathedral.

The ceremony is a symbolic pilgrimage highlighting the key events in Jesus' final hours before and during his crucifixion.

“We cannot have Easter without the cross, and so we're so happy so many people have come out this morning to walk the way of the cross that Jesus walked to Calvary, and we focus on the social injustices in the world and how we can do better as a society,” Catholic Charities organizer Stephanie Sterling said.

The pilgrimage highlights Christ's suffering in the world today through the plight of the poor, abandoned, abused, imprisoned, ill and disabled.