Via Crucis as an audio book
On Good Friday, April 2, Radio Programas del Peru transmitted the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) by St. Josemaría in audio-book format. This was a dramatized adaptation of the Via Crucis of St. Josemaría produced by the Infobrax Association. Nine actors took part, among them Pepe Sarmiento, as narrator; Bruno Odar, as the voice of Jesus; and Aristoteles Picho, as the voice of Pilate.
The program was produced at the studio of Mario Melgar, who studied musical production in Denmark with the renowned Danish producer Holger Lagerfeldt. He has worked as the assistant technical producer for artists such as Ace of Base, Roxette, Robbi Williams and Bon Jovi. Melgar said that although initially the project did not fit into his business coordinates, when he understood what it was about, he was eager to help so that the message of Jesus could reach many people.
The director of the project was Michael Joan, who received his degree from the School of Theater at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. He explained that “the goal was that the public, on hearing this adaptation, could close their eyes and see and feel all that Jesus suffered for our sins.”
Via Crucis contains commentaries on the fourteen stations of the Cross born from the personal prayer of St. Josemaría. “Msgr. Escrivá used to dwell with special attention and love on those [narratives] which tell of the death and resurrection of Jesus. There... he would contemplate the Sacred Humanity of Christ,” said Bishop Alvaro del Portillo in the prologue to the book. St. Josemaría said that “the Way of the Cross is not a sad devotion... If the Passion of Christ is a way of pain, it is also a path of hope leading to certain victory.”
The first edition of the book Via Crucis appeared in 1981. Since then more than 400,000 copies have been printed in 19 languages. Now the audio book (in Spanish) can be downloaded at www.opusdei.org.pe for free.
Romana, n. 50, January-June 2010, p. 144-145.