Brief History of Stations of the Cross
It began in Jerusalem on the street known as the Via Dolorosa; the Way of Sorrows in which Jesus took to his crucifixion. Christians have been making pilgrimages to the Via Dolorosa for centuries and brought with them the devotion to Churches around the world. Make this devotion a part of your Lenten journey.
Praying the Stations
This Lent we will not have group lead Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings. However, you are invited and encouraged to stop by the Church to pray individually or with a group of friends to come pray the stations anytime the church is open for private prayer. The church will be open for prayer during Fish Frys.
Stations of the Cross FAQ
- The Stations of the Cross are also known as the Way of the Cross or Via Crucis.
- They help us to make a virtual pilgrimage to the places and events of Jesus’ last day before his crucifixion.
- The practice began as pilgrims to the Holy Land would trace Jesus’ path through Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa (“Way of Sorrows” in Latin), a road in the old city of Jerusalem, where Jesus walked carrying the cross to Calvary.
- For those who could not make a trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of praying at fourteen stations that represent the stops made on the Via Dolorosa. Stations of the Cross are found in almost every Catholic church.
- The devotion is carried out by moving from Station to Station, with certain prayers or readings at each and devout meditation on what happened at each station.
- Yes, there is and it’s a plenary indulgence, which means it remits all the temporal punishment for those sins we have sacramentally confessed.
- To gain a plenary indulgence, one must perform the work attached to the indulgence (praying and meditating on the Stations of the Cross), make a sacramental confession, receive Holy Communion, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father (reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary, or any other suitable prayer). The conditions may be met several days before or after performing the work of the indulgence.
- You can learn more about indulgences and how they work and what they do here: https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-are-indulgences/
Pray the Stations of the Cross
Self Guided Stations
During Lent, booklets are available in the church to aid in your praying of the Stations of the Cross. Additionally, there are links on this page you can use to guide you in your prayer at any time during the year.
