Easter at Emu Park

Every Good Friday, following our church services, the Emu Park congregation of the Uniting Church join with the people from the Anglican and Roman Catholic congregations to participate in the Good Friday Walk of Reflection.

This walk is an annual Ecumenical event started by a Catholic couple, Brien and Pat Dunne, some 20 – 25 years ago, who adopted the idea from their Rockhampton Parish where the presiding Priest was Father Dan Moore. The “Walk of Reflection” order of service booklet used, was written by Sister Grace Bartolo.

Often, a man dressed as Jesus and carrying a cross, leads the procession. People are welcome to join the procession at any point. The walk has been supported by the local churches ever since. It has the support of the local police who accompany the walkers and close the streets where necessary.

In Emu Park all the churches are in the same street, a block apart. The walk starts at the Anglican Church with a prayer, then moves down the street to the Catholic Church where the pilgrims move through the “Stations of the Cross”, before progressing to the Uniting Church. Here we have another reading and a prayer.

We then proceed up the street singing then along the beachfront and up to the “Singing Ship”, a local tourist attraction which stands on a bluff on the seafront and overlooks the town. At several points along the way we stop to do a reading from the service book, till the “Singing Ship” is reached. Here a short service is held and some hymns sung. It is quite a solemn and moving walk, but rich in fellowship and really enjoyable, and a great witness to our local community.

Contributed by Joan Hinrichsen and Phyllis Rattenbury.