Community
24 April, 2025
Churches unite to mark Easter tradition
CHURCHGOERS marked Good Friday by participating in the Stations of the Cross walk through Camperdown, which saw congregations from three churches join together for the walk.
The Uniting Church, St Paul’s Anglican Church and St Patrick’s Church came together for the tradition, which saw the group walk underneath the elms along Manifold Street and Leura Street before stopping at the Camperdown Uniting Church.
Uniting Church Reverend Suzie Castle said the Stations of the Cross was well-represented by the three churches.
“I find that, on this day, I wrestle with it as a preacher,” she said.
“I wrestle with Good Friday and how I’m going to reveal Christ in our lives again.
“The thing that blows me away is the faithfulness of the people here – that always stands out for me on Good Friday.
“It’s so encouraging for all of us as we have reduced numbers in churches.
“When we’re gathered here together, we’re having hospitality – we’ve enjoyed this experience of reliving the story we’ve gathered for.”
St Paul’s Anglican Church Father Matthew Jones said he was pleased with the mix of ages present at the walk.
“Having children carrying the cross, for me, is very powerful as it reminds us that they are growing into understanding the story,” he said.
“To physically carry a cross on a procession like that, they will never forget that – I think it’s a very powerful symbol to the community.
“When we crossed the street with that big long group of people crossing over, the traffic were very patient and waiting – there was no ‘get out of my way’.
“As the crowd grew – some people started joining a bit after the beginning – it made crossing the street even more challenging, but nobody objected.”
Fr George Kuruvila of the St Patrick’s Church, who started at the church in March, said he wanted to continue the tradition started by his predecessor to maintain ties with the other churches of Camperdown.
“To come together with all the faith traditions that we have is very important. I felt it very deep in my heart,” he said.
“It’s not only on Good Friday – these people have been doing their meetings, and I would like to continue that.
“It’s a great way to share our spirituality, our way of life and our faith.
“For me, what I felt more was Jesus carrying the cross and then Simon coming and helping – the small child carrying the cross was unable to until someone came and helped him, and that symbol was very powerful.”
Fr Jones said this year’s Stations of the Cross felt more powerful this year, with the prayers read at each station resonating with current events around the world.
“It struck me more this year than last year there are such powerful words there about what Jesus is saying makes the world good – in contrast to what we are seeing in our news, which is not making the world good,” he said.
“Some of the prayers we prayed together I thought they were so powerful – don’t let me ever forget their plight of those, let me see them so they are not invisible.
“I think it’s lovely that we can walk under the elm trees in Manifold and Leura Streets – they are lovely trees and the autumn carpet of leaves.
“There’s something about your feet touching something that is, in a sense, dying – the leaves are dying, but we know in spring that whole place will be transformed into green again.
“Death and resurrection is happening in front of us as we walk under those elm trees.”
Rev Castle said when reading out the mothers’ prayer, her thoughts were drawn to those suffering from domestic violence.
“Women are abused, and the rate of death is phenomenal due to domestic violence,” she said.
“It just goes to show – every time we hear the news of these terrible reports, it feels like we nail him back on the cross each time.”
Fr Jones said, while there were tough themes explored during the walk, the coming together of the three churches fostered a sense of unity and community.
“It’s evident there – members of our congregations, they all know each other from groups in town and we should celebrate that unity,” he said.
“This was actually Fr Neville (Stanisulaus)’s idea when he was here to do this.
“When Fr George came, he said he wanted that to continue because it’s actually something that grew out of the Catholic Church.
“For us to be able to come together as three churches, it’s a very strong symbol to the rest of the community.”
Following the walk, attendees came together to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a hot cross bun at the Camperdown Uniting Church.
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