FORT PIERCE | For the 19th time, members of St. Anastasia Parish and San Juan Diego Hispanic Pastoral Center are preparing to stage their popular Passion play that has grown to embody a ministry with more than 100 in the cast and crew.
“The Passion of Christ,” to be performed at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 6, 2025, at the Sunrise Theatre, 117 S. Second St. in Fort Pierce, began in 2006 in the St. Anastasia parish center. In 2016, the Passion play shifted to the Sunrise Theatre, which seats up to 1,200. The play was at the theatre until the pandemic forced it back to St. Anastasia in 2020. In 2024, it returned to the Sunrise.
Because of health challenges last year, Marie Kerr, who served as director since the start, wasn’t able to directly participate. Producer Ann Rise said, “I’m happy to report she is doing very well and back directing, evangelizing and praying with the entire cast. She is a wonderful, faith-filled person who inspires all of us.”
It’s inspiring to see the dedication of the actors and crew, with many family members filling various roles, Rice said. All members of the Scott family help stage the play, including Daniel Scott, who has portrayed Jesus from the beginning, his wife Alissa, photography crew member, and their children, Ashlyn, Clayton and Graham.
“Participating in the Passion play over all these years has been a real blessing in my life,” Daniel said. “It has brought me closer to the Lord and given me a greater appreciation for all he endured for us. It is my hope that those who attended are moved by the love he showed for us all.”
The Passion play opens with Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman (John 4:4-42) and ends at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Then Father Rick George, St. Anastasia’s pastor, leads a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and the audience spends time in Eucharistic adoration.
Tickets to “The Passion of Christ” cost $39 each. Visit www.sunrisetheatre.com/shows/passio-of-the-christ-by-st-anastasia/ or call 772-461-4775.
