By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic
Station 2: Jesus takes up his cross.
Station 3: Jesus falls for the first time.
Station 4: Jesus meets his mother, Mary.
Station 5: Simon of Cyrene helps bear Jesus' cross.
Station 6: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus, which leaves an imprint on her cloth.
Station 7: Jesus falls the second time.
Station 8: Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem.
Station 9: Jesus falls the third time.
Station 10: Jesus is stripped of his clothes.
Station 11: Jesus is crucified.
Station 12: Jesus dies.
Station 13: Jesus' body is taken down from the cross. St. Rose's version shows Mary grieving in a Pieta pose.
Station 14: Jesus is buried.
Photography: JIM DAVIS | FC
MIAMI SHORES | It is known by several names. It's the Via Crucis, the Way of the Cross. Or the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows. Or the Stations of the Cross, a series of devotions that make vivid the meaning of Christ's suffering and death.
It's taken by following a series of images around the church, or sometimes a church garden. It helps us symbolically revisit the 14 events traditionally associated with the day Christ died.
We stand with Jesus as Pilate condemns him. We accompany him as he drags his cross through Jerusalem, falling under it three times. We weep with the city's women as he stops to address them. We watch as Jesus is crucified, dies and is buried.
The Stations typically take the form of small plaques made of wood, carved or painted. They may also be made of metal or ceramic or, as at St. Rose of Lima Church, larger-than-life-size windows.
Artists have likewise made the Stations one of the largest observances — literally. Life-size bronze statues illustrate the story in places as different as Groom, Texas, and Ste. Anne de Beaupres, Quebec.
A true people's devotion, the Stations may be done by clergy or laity, by groups or individuals. It's even an ecumenical observance, practiced by Lutherans, Methodists and Anglicans.
Most Catholics take part in the Stations on the Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent — especially Good Friday, when the events actually happened. The leader pauses at each Station and speaks briefly about the event. He or she may also read the scriptural background and lead a prayer.
The original Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem starts at a Muslim college, believed to sit on the site of the Lithostrotos, where Pilate judged Jesus. The walk proceeds to various chapels, built on the traditional sites of the events.
The last five Stations take place inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre: recalling how Jesus was stripped of his garments, nailed to the cross, died, taken down and buried.
The church is also the site of his resurrection. Some groups therefore add a 15th Station to celebrate that event, looking forward to Easter.
