| 3550 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76133 Phone: 817-926-8277 -- Fax: 817-926-8278 Preschool: 817-923-2040 email: st.christophers@att.net |
St. Christopher Episcopal Church
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To Know Christ and Make Him Known
| Way of the Cross |
The devotion known as the Way of the Cross is an adaptation to local usage of a custom
widely observed by pilgrims to Jerusalem: the offering of prayer at a series of places in that
city traditionally associated with our Lord's passion and death.
From the earliest of days, followers of Jesus told the story of his passion, death and
resurrection. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where
Jesus was. These sites become important holy connections with Jesus. Eventually, following
in the footsteps of the Lord, along the way of the cross, became a part of the pilgrimage visit.
The stations, as we know them today, came about when it was no longer easy or even
possible to visit the holy sites. In the 1500's, villages all over Europe started creating
"replicas" of the way of the cross, with small shrines commemorating the places along the
route in Jerusalem. Eventually, these shrines became the set of 14 stations we now know.
The Stations themselves are a series of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following
scenes:
The visual representations, combined with the prayers and meditations, help to deepen our
understanding of the Way of the Cross. The form which follows is the service used at St.
Christopher Episcopal Church on Friday evenings during Lent. A children's version of the
Way of the Cross is also provided.
widely observed by pilgrims to Jerusalem: the offering of prayer at a series of places in that
city traditionally associated with our Lord's passion and death.
From the earliest of days, followers of Jesus told the story of his passion, death and
resurrection. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where
Jesus was. These sites become important holy connections with Jesus. Eventually, following
in the footsteps of the Lord, along the way of the cross, became a part of the pilgrimage visit.
The stations, as we know them today, came about when it was no longer easy or even
possible to visit the holy sites. In the 1500's, villages all over Europe started creating
"replicas" of the way of the cross, with small shrines commemorating the places along the
route in Jerusalem. Eventually, these shrines became the set of 14 stations we now know.
The Stations themselves are a series of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following
scenes:
- Jesus is condemned to death
- Jesus receives the cross
- Jesus falls the first time
- Jesus meets His Mother
- Simon of Cyrene carries the cross
- Veronica wipes Jesus' face with her veil
- Jesus falls the second time
- Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
- Jesus falls the third time
- Jesus is stripped of His garments
- Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross
- Jesus dies on the cross
- Jesus' body is removed from the cross (Pieta)
- Jesus is laid in the tomb
The visual representations, combined with the prayers and meditations, help to deepen our
understanding of the Way of the Cross. The form which follows is the service used at St.
Christopher Episcopal Church on Friday evenings during Lent. A children's version of the
Way of the Cross is also provided.
