Devout Catholic carries cross up the Mount

FOR THE second straight year Matthew Eversley has portrayed Jesus Christ carrying his cross to Calvary during the Good Friday procession at Mount St Benedict.

The 30-year-old lab technician told Sunday Newsday he was willing to give the role to another person this year but after he was persuaded by his parish priest Father Tanchoon of the St John the Baptist RC Church to accept the role, he decided to do it again.

Eversley, a devout Roman Catholic, does not think that it is absolutely necessary to have a spiritual calling to want to depict the suffering Jesus Christ endured. However, a personal relationship with God is essential.

“You have to be able to push through emotions and be able to understand what Jesus went through for us,” he said. “When you have accomplished that, you would be able to project the feelings and portray it well to others.”

Eversley said he got a lot of support and encouragement from his family, particularly his mother who was very excited when she found out he would be portraying Christ carrying the cross for the second time. He considers it an honour to be able to re-enact the crucifixion of Christ and believes the core message of the procession is to help people acknowledge what Jesus did.

“People, especially in today’s society, have no regard for others, no love for God, they seem to have forgotten what love is,” he said.

Eversley describes himself as a focused and dedicated person who loves what he does for the church, be it portraying Jesus Christ or helping prepare for the upcoming Easter Mass.

An employee of the University of the West Indies (UWI) at Mount Hope, he admitted that it was challenging balancing the demands of his job with church activities.

“It was a bit of a challenge, trying to balance work with practice for the procession but I found the time. For one to prepare themselves for this sort of role, a lot of prayer and reflection on the stations of the cross is essential.

“Next year I will definitely move aside for someone to take over the role,” he declared when asked if he would consider carrying the cross for a third time.

He plans to focus on his job and remain active in the church.