Rain, snow or shine, Joseph E. DeCristofaro will trek 10 miles on Good Friday.
The 70-year-old Johnstown resident hasn’t ruled out trudging through a hurricane to get from his home to the Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in the Auriesville hamlet.
“This is minor compared to what Jesus Christ went through during the crucifixion,” Joseph said.
With a few adjustments along the way, the Catholic man has been traveling the same distance with friends and family for the last 40 years. It usually takes about three hours and 20 minutes.
Pilgrimages on the Christian holy day marking the crucifixion of Jesus are far more common in Latin parts of the world. In the United States, the most notable route is between El Santuario de Chimayó and Tomé Hill in New Mexico.
Joseph’s first trip across the Mohawk Valley was motivated by both religion and fitness. For the first 25 years, the four-time marathon competitor ran the distance.
He now enjoys soaking in his surroundings en route to the sacred site with his longtime best friend, Ray Smith. He’s tagged along for about 37 of the last 40 years non-consecutively.
“You could imagine being best friends for 50 years,” he said. “You have conversations about everything — very intimate conversations about life.”
Joseph has also been accompanied by his stepson and his late son, as well as Smith’s family and a number of other pals, including now-retired Johnstown Police Chief Mark Gifford, who he met at Partner’s Pub.
The attendance varies, said Joseph’s wife, Colleen DeCristofaro. She remembers him traveling with about 20 people in the 1990s.
“No one wants to do it on a crappy day, but a lot of times when it’s nice out people will join,” Colleen said. “It’s just something that he’s always done.”
Joseph E. DeCristofaro, left, and Ray Smith enjoy a brew after making the 10-mile trek to the Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville in 1999.
Past trips have included thick slabs of ice, torrential rain and high piles of snow. Wind can be particularly harsh, Joseph said.
Traffic used to be a greater concern when the pilgrims walked on the state Highway 30A all the way down to Fonda. They’ve since rerouted.
“It gets a little scary, so now we take a left-hand turn on Old Trail Road to avoid the narrow shoulders,” Joseph said.
This year, Smith plans on leaving his car at the shrine and taking Joseph’s car back to Johnstown before heading out on foot around 11 a.m.
Once they’re done, they’ll drive back to Johnstown and grab some brews.
“Your legs are tired and your body is tired, but me and my best friend always celebrate with a couple of beers afterwards,” Joseph said. “That helps us recoup.”
Only one year was the yearly tradition outside the Fulmont region. While on vacation in South Carolina two years ago, Joseph decided to travel to a church five miles away and back to make up the same distance.
“Quite a few of the reactions are ‘God bless you that you can still do it,” he said.
The overall distance is about 16% the trip of Catholic pilgrims embarking on a three-day trek from Lake George to the Auriesville community each fall.
Rev. Joseph Loyzance led a pilgrimage of 4,000 people from Albany and Troy to Auriesville in the 1880s. He helped found the first shrine on a 10-acre plot of land in 1884.
Prominent is the location in local Catholic history. Auriesville — then-Ossernenon — was the birthplace of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha 368 years ago. After converting to Catholicism at 19, the Mohawk woman was threatened by members of her village. She later fled to Quebec.