Dorrie Platte didn’t let a chilly April morning keep her from her traditional Good Friday Way of the Cross Walk.
“I have a grateful heart for what Jesus has done for me. It only seemed right that we do this,” said Platte, who was one of more than 200 people making the mile and a half trek beginning at Burns United Methodist Church on April 2.
Carrying crosses, Platte and others made the winding walk through a South Augusta neighborhood, stopping along the way at Ascension Lutheran Church on Wells Road, Hillcrest Baptist Church on Deans Bridge Road and ending at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Lumpkin Road.
Each stop brought with it scripture readings as well as songs to commemorate the day.
At St. Joseph, the Rev. Mark Van Alstine closed out the walk by reading the account of Jesus’ final words and his death from the Gospel of St. Mark.
Van Alstine brought a message of hope from those words.
“You are not alone,” he said.
No matter what life may bring, he said, God will always be there.
Jesus felt the ultimate separation as sin separated him from God’s divine presence, he said, but Jesus’ work on the cross brought the way of restoration so that believers would never have to say the words “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” as Jesus uttered.
Van Alstine reiterated this message of not being alone multiple times.
Gary Garner, who is one of the organizers of the event, said that the crowds were smaller this year than in the past. Usually there are upwards of 500 or 600 people.
He attributed the fewer numbers to the weather and the lingering effects of the pandemic.
Despite that, he said he felt positive about the event.
At the end of the cross walk, St. Joseph typically offers a Via Crucis, but the live re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross was not held due to pandemic concerns, according to Van Alstine, who said he hoped it could return next year.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
