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A three-day walk for Jesus begins on the North Fork

Friday was the start of the man's three-day journey. (Credit: Carrie Miller)
Friday was the start of the man’s three-day journey. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

Did you notice a man carrying a cross down Main Road Friday morning?

The man, who identified himself only as Donald, started his morning at Mattituck Presbyterian Church where he had spent the night in preparation of what will be a three-day journey on foot — carrying a three-foot tall cross weighing in about five pounds — throughout his trip, he said during a brief interview on the Main Road sidewalk by in Aquebogue.

After church members sent him off with a prayer, he began the first leg of his journey at 8 a.m. and will be stopping at a church in Selden today. Saturday, he will walk on to Huntington, and from there he will be ending his trip in Westbury —hopefully — by noon Sunday, he said.

So why make the walk?

He said he simply wants people to take a moment to think about Jesus.

“They see the cross and they think,” he said. “Think about what they think of Jesus, when they think of Jesus, and whether they may want to think about Jesus, and bring him into their lives.”

Donald said he made a similar walk in 2012, walking across the south shore from Water Mill to Jones Beach. It is not something he plans on every year, but rather when he feels moved to act.

So far along his journey, he said many people have honked and waved passing by, while some have actually stopped to give him bottles or glasses of water.

Every hour, he said he stops to say a short prayer, asking those around him to join in should they feel inclined.

Donald said he is a member of Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Ronkonkoma, and works as an appliance repairman. He is also a husband and father.

In 2011, another man set out on a similar walk, with a similar goal in mind.