The Way of the Cross

 The Stations of the Cross (also called the Way of the Cross) is a traditional liturgical devotion commemorating the last day of Jesus’ life. The devotion originated with pilgrims in Jerusalem retracing the traditional steps Jesus is believed to have followed on Good Friday. Since not all Christians could make pilgrimages to Jerusalem, however, the custom arose of replicating the devotion in congregational and individual settings, often with images or carvings on the walls of a church to commemorate each of the traditional 14 stations (or stops) on the Way of the Cross. 

The Church through the centuries has used many forms of praying the Stations of the Cross. The form here, prepared by The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations, offers the opportunity for Christians to meditate on each of the stations by contemplating the needs of suffering people in God’s creation today. The devotions challenge us to think about how we – the ministers of God’s reconciliation in Christ – can honor Christ’s sacrifice by offering ourselves to the healing and repair of the world God sent his Son to save. 

The prayers and other spoken words in this devotion come from The Episcopal Church’s Book of Occasional Services. 

The pictures shown in the stations below are on the walls of St. Thomas Episcopal Church.