Stations of the Cross will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Fridays in Lent at 7:00 PM.
The STATIONS OF THE CROSS are a fourteen-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on
earth as a man. The fourteen devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all fourteen are complete. If prayed as a group in a church, the priest or presider moves from station to station and the parishioners remain stationary in their pews. The Stations of the Cross are commonly found in churches as a series of fourteen small icons or images. They can also appear in church yards arranged along paths. The stations are most commonly prayed during Lent on Wednesdays and Fridays, and especially on Good Friday, the day of the year upon which the events actually occurred.
INDULGENCES
A Plenary Indulgence is grated to the faithful who make the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross.
Those who are impeded can gain the same indulgence if they spend at least one half an hour
in pious reading and meditation on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, no. 63
PREPARATORY PRAYERS:
Kneeling before the altar, make an Act of Contrition, and form the intention of gaining the indulgences, whether for yourself or for the souls in purgatory.
ACT OF CONTRITION: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
Following the act of contrition say:
My Lord Jesus Christ, You have made this journey to die for me with unspeakable love; and I have so many times ungratefully abandoned You. But now I love You with all my heart; and, because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for ever having offended You. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey. You go to die for love of me; I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.
Stabat mater dolorósa
juxta Crucem lacrimósa,
dum pendébat Fílius.
At the cross her station keeping
Stood the mournful Mother weeping
Close to Jesus to the last.
The First Station: PILATE CONDEMNS JESUS TO DIE
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how Jesus Christ, after being scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the cross.
All say: My Adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate; no, it was my sins that condemned You to die. I beseech You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul on its journey to eternity. I love You, beloved Jesus; I love You more than I love myself. With all my heart I repent of ever having offended You. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
Our Father… Hail Mary... Glory Be...
Cuius ánimam geméntem,
contristátam et doléntem
pertransívit gladius.
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing
All His bitter anguish bearing
Now at length the sword has passed.
The Second Station: JESUS ACCEPTS HIS CROSS
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider Jesus as He walked this road with the cross on His shoulders, thinking of us, and offering to His Father in our behalf, the death He was about to suffer.
All say: My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the sufferings You have destined for me until death. I beg You, by all You suffered in carrying Your cross, to help me carry mine with Your perfect peace and resignation. I love You, Jesus, my love; I repent of ever having offended You. Never let me separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
Our Father… Hail Mary... Glory Be...
O quam tristis et afflícta
fuit illa benedícta,
mater Unigéniti!
O, how sad and sore depressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole Begotten One!
The Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider the first fall of Jesus. Loss of blood from the scourging and crowning with thorns had so weakened Him that He could hardly walk; and yet He had to carry that great load upon His shoulders. As the soldiers struck Him cruelly, He fell several times under the heavy cross.
All Say: My beloved Jesus, it was not the weight of the cross but the weight of my sins which made You suffer so much. By the merits of this first fall, save me from falling into mortal sin. I love You, O my Jesus, with all my heart; I am sorry that I have offended You. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
Our Father… Hail Mary... Glory Be...
Quae mœrébat et dolébat,
pia Mater, dum vidébat
nati pœnas ínclyti.
Christ above in torment hangs
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.
The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how the Son met his Mother on His way to Calvary. Jesus and Mary gazed at each other and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly
All Say: My most loving Jesus, by the pain You suffered in this meeting, grant me the grace of being truly devoted to Your most holy Mother. And You, my Queen, who was overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by Your prayers a tender and a lasting remembrance of the passion of Your divine Son. I love You, Jesus, my Love, above all things. I repent of ever having offended You. Never allow me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
Our Father… Hail Mary... Glory Be...
Quis est homo qui non fleret,
matrem Christi si vidéret
in tanto supplício?
Is there one who would not weep,
'Whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ's dear Mother to behold?
The Fifth Station: Simon helps Jesus carry his cross
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how weak and weary Jesus was. At each step He was at the point of expiring. Fearing that He would die on the way when they wished Him to die the infamous death of the cross, they forced Simon of Cyrene to help carry the cross after Our Lord.
All Say: My beloved Jesus, I will not refuse the cross as Simon did: I accept it and embrace it. I accept in particular the death that is destined for me with all the pains that may accompany it. I unite it to Your death and I offer it to You. You have died for love of me; I will die for love of You and to please You. Help me by Your grace. I love You, Jesus, my Love; I repent of ever having offended You. Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
Our Father… Hail Mary... Glory Be...
Quis non posset contristári
Christi Matrem contemplári
doléntem cum Fílio?
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain
In that Mother's pain untold?
The Sixth Station: Veronica offers her veil to jesus
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider the compassion of the holy woman, Veronica. Seeing Jesus in such distress, His face bathed in sweat and blood, she presented Him with her veil. Jesus wiped His face, and left upon the cloth the image of his sacred countenance.
All Say: My beloved Jesus, Your face was beautiful before You began this journey; but, now, it no longer appears beautiful and is disfigured with wounds and blood. Alas, my soul also was once beautiful when it received Your grace in Baptism; but I have since disfigured it with my sins. You alone, my Redeemer, can restore it to its former beauty. Do this by the merits of Your passion; and then do with me as You will
Our Father… Hail Mary... Glory Be...
Pro peccátis suæ gentis
vidit Iésum in torméntis,
et flagéllis súbditum.
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.
The Seventh Station: JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how the second fall of Jesus under His cross renews the pain in all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
All Say: My most gentle Jesus, how many times You have forgiven me; and how many times I have fallen again and begun again to offend You! By the merits of this second fall, give me the grace to persevere in Your love until death. Grant, that in all my temptations, I may always have recourse to You. I love You, Jesus, my Love with all my heart; I am sorry that I have offended You. Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
Our Father… Hail Mary... Glory Be...
Vidit suum dulcem Natum
moriéndo desolátum,
dum emísit spíritum.
For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
'Til His spirit forth He sent.
The Eighth Station: JESUS SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how the women wept with compassion seeing Jesus so distressed and dripping with blood as he walked along. Jesus said to them, “Weep not so much for me, but rather for Your children.”
All Say: My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the sins which I have committed against You because of the punishment I deserve for them; and, still more, because of the displeasure they have caused You who have loved me with an infinite love. It is Your love, more than the fear of hell, which makes me weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love You more than myself; I am sorry that I have offended You. Never allow me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
Our Father… Hail Mary... Glory Be...
Eia, Mater, fons amóris
me sentíre vim dolóris
fac, ut tecum lúgeam.
O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with thine accord.
The Ninth Station: JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how Jesus Christ fell for the third time. He was extremely weak and the cruelty of His executioners was excessive; they tried to hasten His steps though He hardly had strength to move.
All Say: My outraged Jesus, by the weakness You suffered in going to Calvary, give me enough strength to overcome all human respect and all my evil passions which have led me to despise Your friendship. I love You, Jesus my Love, with all my heart; I am sorry for ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
Our Father… Hail Mary... Glory Be...
Fac, ut árdeat cor meum
in amándo Christum Deum
ut sibi compláceam.
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ my Lord.
