At one time, Bob Garrett knew most of the participants in the Way of the Cross Walk held each Good Friday in south Augusta, but now the event draws people from all over the area.
“There’ve been more and more people showing up,” said Garrett, the overall coordinator of the Alleluia community and spokesman for this year’s event scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Friday at Burns United Methodist Church, 2373 Lumpkin Rd.
The walk observes the Biblical account of Jesus as he walked to his crucifixion carrying his cross.
In pre-pandemic years, the walk drew hundreds of people, many of whom carried crosses of various sizes. Some carry small crosses while a few carry larger crosses.
Along the two-mile route, the group will stop to hear a brief message and sing a few songs. Other churches on the way include Lutheran Church of the Ascension 2860 Wells Drive, Hillcrest Baptist Church, 3045 Deans Bridge Road and St. Joseph Catholic Church, 2607 Lumpkin Road.
“It’s a visible witness of our Christian unity,” said Garrett, acknowledging the diverse denominations joining together for the event. “There are different churches, but we all follow the same Jesus.”
The walk is a solemn event. Those participating in it are contemplative, he said. They take their steps as they reflect on the message of Good Friday and Easter.
The event takes about two hours. Some are physically unable to make the full walk; for those, there’s a bus that follows the walkers to ensure they all make it to the final stop of St. Joseph, where the crowd is then dispersed.
The walk has been taking place at least 20 years although no one is exactly sure when it began.
Nancy Garner, who has helped in the planning for many years, said in a 2021 article in The Augusta Press that the walk was inspired by a woman who lived in the Alleluia Community.
“There was a Hispanic woman who would carry a cross from noon to 3 p.m. on Good Friday,” Garner said.
Garrett surmises that the walk may date back to the 1980s, but the South Augusta Pastors’ Alliance started co-sponsoring it in the early 2000s.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
