Our church features magnificent "Stations of
the Cross." The Stations, made of carved wood, were installed in
the church in 1886 at the cost of $1,000.00 each. Each Station is
approximately three feet wide and six feet high; they are positioned ten
feet from the floor.
Images of the first seven "Stations of the Cross"
can be found below. Please use the prayers written by St. Alphonsus Liguori, that we
have included here, in order to reflect on and pray the Stations.
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.
At the cross her station keeping
Stood the mournful Mother weeping
Close to Jesus to the last
The First Station:
Jesus is Condemned to Death
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, Because, by Your holy cross, You
have redeemed the world.
Consider how Jesus Christ, after being scourged and crowned with thorns, was
unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the cross.
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.)
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing
All His bitter anguish bearing
Now at length the sword has passed
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, Because, by Your holy cross, You
have redeemed the world.
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.
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, how sad and sore depressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole Begotten One
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, Because, by Your holy cross, You
have redeemed the world.
Consider the first fall of Jesus. Loss of blood from the scourging and crowing
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.
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)
Christ above in torment hangs
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, Because, by Your holy cross, You
have redeemed the world.
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.
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)
Is there one who would not weep,
'whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ's dear Mother to behold.
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, Because, by Your holy cross, You
have redeemed the world.
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.
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)
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain
In that Mother's pain untold?
The Sixth Station:
Veronica Wipes the face of Jesus
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, Because, by Your holy cross, You
have redeemed the world.
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.
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)
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled
She beheld her tender Child
All with bloody scourges rent.
We adore
You, O Christ, and we praise You, Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed
the world.
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.
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)
For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.
