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Tradition has it that when Our Lady was living in Jerusalem, she had never failed,
ever since Our Lord's death, to follow His path to Calvary with tears of compassion. She
had paced out and measured all the distances between the Stations of that Via Crucis, and
her love for her Son made her unable to live without this constant contemplation of His
sufferings. At each Station, she sat down and renewed the mystery of its significance in
her heart, praising the Lord for His love with tears of compassion
In popular devotion, the Stations of the Cross consist of a series of
pictures or crosses hung on the walls of Catholic churches. They depict events along the
road to Calvary, from the death sentence of Jesus to His burial. Some churches today
include a final scene: The Resurrection.
The purpose of the Stations of the Cross is to remind us of the effects of sin and the
salvation won for us through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. As we
meditate on the Stations, we are moved to renounce sin and to accept Jesus as our Savior.
An Act of Contrition
O Jesus Christ, my Lord, with what great love Thou didst pass over this
painful road, which lead Thee to death; and I, how often I have abandoned Thee! But now I
love Thee with my whole soul, and because I love Thee, I am sincerely sorry for having
offended Thee. My Jesus, pardon me, and permit me to accompany Thee in this Thy sorrowful
journey.
Via Dolorosa (Road of Sorrows)
Via Crucis (Way of the Cross)
The road followed by Jesus on the day of His death
began at the Antonia fortress
and ended on Calvary (Golgatha)
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 Station I - Jesus is Condemned to Death (Praetorium) |
| Station II - Jesus Bears His Cross |
| Station III - Jesus Falls the First Time |
| Station IV - Jesus Meets His Holy Mother |
| Station V - Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus |
| Station VI - Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus |
| Station VII - Jesus Falls a Second Time |
| Station VIII - Jesus Comforts the Women of Jerusalem |
| Station IX - Jesus Falls a Third Time |
| Station X - Jesus is Stripped of His Garments * |
| Station XI - Jesus is Nailed to the Cross * |
| Station XII - Jesus Dies on the Cross * |
| Station XIII - Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross * |
| Station XIV- Jesus is Laid in the Tomb * |
* Stations X thru XIV are located inside the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre.
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