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The First Parish Congregational Church of Wakefield will present its 10th annual production of A Passion Play on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
The church began performing the play, which traces the final week of the life of Jesus, after 50-year-member Horace Hylan heard about the version of the play performed in Oberam-mergau, Germany. In that village the play has been performed every 10 years since 1633, when the elders publicly vowed that the citizens of the village would perform it each decade if God would spare the town any more deaths from the Black Plague. According to legend, God heard those vows and no one else died of the deadly disease.
The Wakefield church’s version of the play involves more than 40 members and friends from 10 towns in the cast and crew. They range in age from 17 to 80. At right, Gador Abkarian plays Jesus and Douglas Jackson is captain of the guards.
(Photo by Barbara Flynn)