The object of the Stations is to help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer, through meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death.
After so many positive comments about the Stations in 2009, we will again have fourteen stations. A guide will be produced to help you navigate from one to the next in order if desired. A number of Stations will be placed near benches to offer opportunity to sit and rest while praying, and the final station will be adjacent to the gazebo in our beautiful cemetery, offering a chance to sit and reflect on the journey that Christ took on his way to death on the Cross.We encourage parishioners to invite neighbours and friends to experience this (although new to St. Anne’s) ancient tradition, remembering that Christ died to save us all from sin. Without truly experiencing the agony of His death, we cannot fully understand the glory of his Resurrection.
A summary of the Stations follows, however you may navigate through the complete text from the guide book by following the links on the left hand menu.
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross (or
Way of the Cross; in Latin, Via Crucis; also called the Via Dolorosa or
Way of Sorrows, or simply, The Way) refers to the depiction of the final
hours (or Passion) of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the
Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St. Francis of
Assisi and extended throughout the Roman Catholic Church in the medieval
period. It may be done at any time, but is most commonly done during
the Season of Lent, especially on Good Friday and on Friday evenings
during Lent.
The object of the Stations is to help us make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer, through meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death. It has become one of the most popular devotions for many Christians.
The Stations themselves are
(usually) a series of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following:
1.
Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus receives the cross
3. Jesus
falls the first time
4. Jesus meets His Mother
5. Simon of Cyrene
carries the cross
6. Veronica wipes Jesus' face with her veil
7.
Jesus falls the second time
8. Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem
9.
Jesus falls the third time
10. Jesus is stripped of His garments
11.
Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the
cross
13. Jesus' body is removed from the cross (Deposition or
Lamentation)
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense
Each of us wants and needs to have space for quiet, for then one begins to see with the eyes of the heart” - Desmond Tutu.
Come to the Via Dolorosa and take up the Cross. Be with Jesus as He makes his final walk on this earth. Each Station bears its own witness to Our Lord’s final grueling journey. Who will you identify with? Perhaps with Simon of Cyrene who helps and picks up the cross, or perhaps with Veronica who steps out of the crowd to wipe the sweat from His eyes?
Take time this Lent, to not only “talk the talk”, but also “walk the walk”. Experience what happened over 2,000 years ago and know how much He loved us then and how much He loves us now.
A Lenten gift from the
Worship Team.