I photographed a Good Friday procession today, April 10, 2009, in Nashua, where a couple incidents reminded me of how rude and disrespectful some people can be to one another.

 As the parishners of St. Louis de Gonzague Church walked through the side streets of downtown Nashua, escorted by men wearing bright green traffic vests, a motorist (below) tried to pull in to the parking lot along the Nashua River off Water Street. When she was met by the traffic controllers, she gave them an earfull of insults, demanding that she needed to meet a client at her business.

When the procession began to walk up the ramp toward her, she parking her car in the street, and walked away. Was it their fault she was late for an appointment?

The other incident was merely an employee at a state office building across from the Nashua District Court, who came outside and asked me who these people were, and why they were there (in the parking lot off Central Street. Didn’t she see the big wood cross? I explained they were parishners from St. Louis de Gonzague Church, and that she should talk with them. She didn’t look happy, even though they only stopped for five minutes to read the stations of the cross. It was much safer for the hundreds of participants to get out of the road.

These may have been small incidents, but only reflect the disrespect some people have for religion of any kind.

-Bob Hammerstrom

Tags: Bob Hammerstrom, catholic, church, cross, good friday, nashua, parade, procession, religion X stations of the cross X cross X St. Louis de, st. louis de gonzongue, stations of the, vigil