On Good Friday, dozens gathered to put on a reenactment of the Stations of the Cross at Cathedral of Saint Matthew in Aldine. The largely Latino congregation came out to see the biblical story performed in Spanish that afternoon. Lexi Parra went to photograph the theatrical ritual.

Kids run around in the Parish center as people prepare for the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew, Friday, April 18, 2025 in Houston. (Lexi Parra / Houston Landing)
Father Tarcisio Carmona splashes water on participants in the Stations of the Cross, as they pray before beginning the reenactment on Good Friday at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew, Friday, April 18, 2025 in Houston. (Lexi Parra / Houston Landing)

One family in particular, the Payáns, were in attendance. The Houston Landing spent weeks with them, as Alejandrina Morales was fighting for her husband to be released from ICE detention. During that trying time, she found solace in the church. Today, she was playing the Virgin Mary. Erik Payán, who has been reunited with his family, jokingly called her ‘la llorona’ (the crier).

(Top left) Alejandrina Morales, playing the Virgin Mary – Jesus’ mother, stands in her starting position for the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew, Friday, April 18, 2025 in Houston. Father Tarcisio Carmona, left, and Father Claudio Castillo, right, prepare a livestream of the Stations of the Cross. (Bottom) Roman soldiers walk out of the Cathedral to the steps of the church. (Lexi Parra / Houston Landing)

Alejandrina Morales arrived early to trim jasmine flowers and help her comadres, close friends, with costumes for the evening’s performance. She rushed around the parish center greeting friends and joking that the flowers had to be perfect, because they were for her son, referencing her Virgin Mary character.

Scenes from the Stations of the Cross that began in front of the cathedral steps on Good Friday at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew, Friday, April 18, 2025 in Houston. (Lexi Parra / Houston Landing)
The Payán family and other church members watch the Stations of the Cross performance on Good Friday at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew, Friday, April 18, 2025 in Houston. (Lexi Parra / Houston Landing)

It’s so beautiful, no?

Erik PAYÁN REMARKS IN SPANISH AS HE WATCHES THE PERFORMANCE

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Lexi Parra is a photo editor for Houston Landing. Before moving to Houston, she worked as an independent photojournalist in Caracas, Venezuela and New York, NY, and her work has been published in The New...