Clarification: The Ascension Youth Mime Ministry will perform at 9:45 a.m. Sunday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 2219 Washington Ave.

RACINE - The story is centuries old, but this time, it was told without words. There wasn't complete silence, but the troupe acting out the Passion story Sunday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 725 High St. spoke not a single word.

They told the story of Jesus Christ's betrayal and crucifixion through mime. It's a rite of passage for the high school-aged students from Ascension Lutheran Church in

Waukesha.

The troupe started their annual Lenten-season performances of the Passion story here in Racine. It's one of two performances they'll do here this month. They'll give a total of 15 performances this year.

More than 40 students from the Ascension Youth Mime Ministry participated in Sunday's performance.

It was the idea of a former youth minister at the church. She happened to be driving home one night listening to the soundtrack from the movie "Dances With Wolves." The music inspired the four-act play that students perform to this day. The performance includes narration and music.

The church has performed its unique version of the Passion every Lenten season for the past 15 years.

"Fifteen years later, we have made it our passion, our mission to impact our youth at our church and share our story with just about anybody who wants to listen," said Cathy Marschall, one of the directors. "We've been blessed to have traveled many miles over 15 years performing for literally thousands (of people)."

It's a confirmation requirement for students in the ninth grade. It's optional for students in 10th through 12th grade. Some of the younger students are hesitant at first, Marschall said, but usually by the end of the season it changes their lives, Marschall said. Many of the older students return year after year.

The troupe will perform every Wednesday and Sunday for the next six weeks at churches around southeastern Wisconsin, getting up bright and early as they did this Sunday. This year they'll also travel to Decorah, Iowa, where they'll perform at Luther College.

"Kids that could be working or sleeping in or doing homework choose to want to be a part of this. So we've been very blessed," Marschall said.

This is the fourth year that Blair Simmons, 18, has performed. Simmons, a senior at Waukesha West High School, has played different parts every year. He started out as a disciple. Last year he played a disciple and Jesus' understudy. This year he played Jesus.

For Simmons, like most of the student performers, participating in the Passion play required a crash course in learning how to mime.

A lot of it is basic acting: act-react, Simmons said. It's hard at first to get what you're trying to say out, but it develops over time, he said.

"One of the most powerful things is making a connection with one of your friends and then understanding what that person is trying to say even though they're not saying a word, just by the way they're acting," Simmons said.

The 30-minute performance took the place of the Rev. James Peters' weekly sermon. Jim Black, president of Emmanuel's church council, helped organize the troupe's performance at the church on the first Sunday in Lent.

"This is something that is certainly different, that many of us have never experienced before, and truthfully I thought it would be something interesting to start our Lenten journey here," Black said. "Nothing against the pastor's sermon, but just something different and something to involve the kids a little bit more, to get them engaged."

The Ascension Youth Mime Ministry will perform again in Racine at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11 at Emmaus Lutheran Church, 1925 Summit Ave.