Starting from Sacred Heart Catholic Church on College Street,
the annual Good Friday event attracted 400 people by the time
walkers reached St. Benedict Catholic Church, three-and-a-half
miles away on Fairview Road.
BY MICHAEL VAN CASSELL STAFF WRITER
Hollister – The line behind the people carrying the huge wooden cross got longer and longer Friday morning as the procession made its way through the streets of Hollister.
Starting from Sacred Heart Catholic Church on College Street, the annual Good Friday event attracted 400 people by the time walkers reached St. Benedict Catholic Church, three-and-a-half miles away on Fairview Road.
“They keep growing because people keep adding to it,” said Richard Puccinelli, who directed traffic and made sure the walkers stayed on the sidewalk and crossed streets safely.
Puccinelli said that the walk was not just for Catholics, but for anyone wishing to express their faith on Good Friday, which commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
Ellen Emma and Victoria Silva of Hollister made the cross-town trek, accompanied by Silva’s 13-month-old son Nathan, who rode in a stroller. It was the second year of participation in the Good Friday walk for all three.
Emma said she not only walked to express her faith, but also to enjoy the exercise.
“It’s longer than you realize,” she said. “You drive it all the time.”
Hollister’s Good Friday procession dates back to 1994, when Sacred Heart’s youth group walked from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Tres Pinos to Sacred Heart, said Jeanmarie Centeno, coordinator of faith formation for Sacred Heart and St. Benedict churches.
At more than eight miles, the walk was a little more strenuous back then.
“We started with only a few people,” she said.
One of those original walkers was Jess Delgadillo, now 22, who participated in his 12th Good Friday procession this year.
Delgadillo began walking with his family just after his grandfather passed away.
“I do it for my family,” Delgadillo said. “I do it for the generations, to keep it going.”
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
