Simon's name appeared only once (few hours) in the New Testament in the life of Jesus. Simon is as a common name for Jewish, Greeks, and other people during that time as Joe or Charlie is today. Yet one of these Simons, called Simon of Cyrene, became a figure larger than life in God's plan of salvation for mankind. They called him "of Cyrene" because he was born in a city named Cyrenaica or Cyrene and whose role in the life of Jesus and in God the Father's plan of salvation was to help Jesus carry his cross, during more than half of Jesus's journey to Calvary.

According to history, this man was an unknown man, an African from Cyrene in North Africa, east of Egypt, whose life changed forever.

Note that it will be very nice if in every fifth station of the cross, Simon of Cyrene would show up as he really was a black man.