- Feb 5, 2002
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HAM LAKE, Minn. (OSV News) — When Josh Ritter was in high school, he wanted to play Jesus in the Living Stations the Church of St. Paul in Ham Lakepresents every Lent. He did this twice, in 2007 as a high school junior, and again in 2008 as a senior.
Years later, after a stint in the U.S. Navy in California following high school and his return to Minnesota in 2018, he again would serve as a reminder of Christ’s life, but in a more unusual way — by dying at the same age.
A little before 2 a.m. Nov. 26, 2023, he called his mother, Marian, and they talked for about half an hour. These conversations were commonplace, and Marian cherished them. But this one would be their last. Sometime between the end of the phone call that early Sunday and the following Monday, Josh suffered a brain aneurysm and died at his home in Coon Rapids. He was 33.
That he died at the same age as Jesus was not lost on the Ritter family, which includes Marian’s husband, Gary, and their other three children. Father Jim Livingston, pastor of the Ham Lake church, also acknowledged it at Josh’s funeral Mass Dec. 5.
Gary and Marian helped start it with Barb Skillings and a handful of other volunteers. Skillings and the Ritters are still involved.
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
Years later, after a stint in the U.S. Navy in California following high school and his return to Minnesota in 2018, he again would serve as a reminder of Christ’s life, but in a more unusual way — by dying at the same age.
A little before 2 a.m. Nov. 26, 2023, he called his mother, Marian, and they talked for about half an hour. These conversations were commonplace, and Marian cherished them. But this one would be their last. Sometime between the end of the phone call that early Sunday and the following Monday, Josh suffered a brain aneurysm and died at his home in Coon Rapids. He was 33.
That he died at the same age as Jesus was not lost on the Ritter family, which includes Marian’s husband, Gary, and their other three children. Father Jim Livingston, pastor of the Ham Lake church, also acknowledged it at Josh’s funeral Mass Dec. 5.
‘This is where Jesus wants me’
A month after the funeral, it was time to start preparing for this year’s Living Stations, which youth of the parish have presented in the main church every year during Lent since 1995.Gary and Marian helped start it with Barb Skillings and a handful of other volunteers. Skillings and the Ritters are still involved.
Continued below.
Living Stations dedicated to man who played Jesus and died at 33
Minnesota parish dedicates Living Stations to two past cast members, including a young parishioner remembered for his portrayal of Jesus and his own death at 33, the same age Jesus was when he died on the cross.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
