In February 1917, America was at war. Like other parishes throughout the United States, St. John the Baptist, in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, had readily given its quota of men to the Army, Navy and Marines. Eight of them had already been killed in action.

Father Richard Wurth, Franciscan pastor of St. John, was deeply saddened by the loss of these eight parishioners and considered how he could merit the special protection of God for his other young men in the service. He remembered how all the wood-carving peasants of Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps had escaped the Black Death in the 17th century by vowing to produce a Passion Play every 10 years in thanksgiving. With hope in his heart Father Richard decided upon a similar strategy.

He produced “Veronica, or The Holy Veil”, a play centered around the passion and death of Christ. After the third and final performance, he called all the actors together backstage. They joined hands and solemnly pledged to present a passion play annually thereafter for the protection of their sons, brothers, and husbands in the conflict. In fulfillment of that promise every year since the Lent of 1918, the men, women and children of St. John enacted the Gospel drama of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

The closing of St. John Church in 1969 almost meant the demise of the Passion Play. However several cast members were determined to keep the play alive and organized a charitable nonprofit corporation to do so. Since then the Passion Play has been presented in numerous locations around the Cincinnati area, including Mount Notre Dame High School, Emery Auditorium and Westwood Town Hall. Performing the play in church sanctuaries has given it a special spirituality. Our prayer is that we will continue to present the Passion on hallowed ground.

The cast and crew of the Passion Play, from all walks of life, executives to students, and belong to different denominations. But our common bond and purpose is to praise and give thanks to our Lord who created us and gave His life for us. With each year we strive to add authenticity to his story and give it a greater spiritual impact. Our desire is to bring the Scripture alive and, in a dramatic and moving way, humbly share the message of John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believith in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."