The Stations of the Cross (or Way of the Cross; in Latin, Via Crucis or Via Dolorosa) refers to the depiction of the final days (or Passion) of Jesus, and the Roman Catholic and Anglican devotion commemorating the Passion.

The Stations themselves are usually a series of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following scenes:

1. Christ is condemned to death
2. The cross is laid upon him
3. His first fall
4. He meets His Blessed Mother
5. Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross
6. Christ's face is wiped by Veronica
7. His second fall
8. He meets the women of Jerusalem
9. His third fall
10. He is stripped of His garments
11. His crucifixion
12. His death on the cross
13. His body is taken down from the cross
14. His body is laid in the tomb

Some trace the history of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary visiting the locations of the Passion in Jerusalem, but most trace the beginning of the specific devotion to Saint Francis of Assisi, or at least to the Franciscan tradition. Originally, it was specifically connected to visiting the actual sites in Jerusalem, where Jesus suffered and died. As such a pilgrimage was impossible for many, the stations were erected in the local churches as a way of bringing Jerusalem to the people. The number and names of the stations changed radically at various times in the history of the devotion, though the current list of fourteen stations is now almost universal.

Pope John Paul II leads a public prayer of the Stations of the Cross at the Roman Colosseum on Good Friday each year. Originally, the Pope himself carried the cross from station to station, but due to his deteriorating health, he now presides over the celebration from a stage on the Palatine Hill, while others carry the cross. Each year a different person is invited to write the meditation texts for the Stations. Past composers of the Papal Stations include several non-Catholics. In many years, the Stations meditated have not corresponded to the traditional list given above, which lead some to speculate that the Pope would be changing the list soon. However, the Holy Father himself wrote the texts for the Jubilee year 2000 and used the traditional Stations.

Prayer of the Stations of the Cross is connected with a plenary indulgence according to the normal conditions of the Church. To achieve the indulgence, the person praying must walk from station to station, meditating on the Passion. There is no requirement that this meditation be of a certain duration, use specific prayers, or indeed, that the meditation correspond to the stations that are depicted. A validly erected set of the Stations of the Cross should be blessed by a Franciscan, and should include a wooden cross at each station. (Images are optional.) The same indulgence is available to those unable to visit the stations by meditating for 30 minutes on the Passion.

The celebration of the Stations of the Cross is especially common on the Fridays of Lent, and especially Good Friday. Community celebrations are usually accompanied by various songs and prayers. Particularly common as musical accompaniment is the sequence Stabat Mater Dolorosa.

Many advocate today the addition of a 15th station, depicting Christ's Resurrection, so as not to end the devotion on a negative note. Others have begun the practice of the Via Lucis in Eastertide to meditate on the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord.

See also

• Passion play
• The Passion of the Christ

External link

• Way of the Cross from the Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15569a.htm)