This last weekend, at our retreat, we created a modern twist on the Stations of the Cross. Late on Thursday we realized that it would be too rainy to plan on using the outdoor stations of the cross at our retreat house. So we needed a new plan. I started searching flickr for pictures of the stations of the cross.
And I found so many! I decided that we’d divide up the stations (there are 14) and let retreat goers CHOOSE which image they wanted us to use for their assigned station. I printed out four or 5 images for each station for the retreatants to choose from, and then we placed the chosen images up around the covered portion of the courtyard.
Instead of walking in the rain, we walked, covered (while it hailed!) and viewed a myriad of images from all over the world, representing Jesus’ journey to the cross. As we walked, we read “The Way of the Cross at the Colosseum” which was led by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. It was moving, unique, and something I will never forget. I loved that each image represented a retreat participant in some way, as well as the artist who created it. And I love that this kind of stations of the cross could be done virtually anywhere, as it does not rely on any kind of space to create a moving and meaningful experience.
Come, join us in seeing which images the retreat participants chose!
Station 1: Jesus is condemned to death
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31561549@N08/6364464221/
image by: jmartyk, taken at St. John’s in Stevenston, Scotland
Station 2: Jesus accepts the cross
image by: Jerry Dougherty, taken at Saint Mark Church in Westbrook, Connecticut, USA
Station 3: Jesus falls for the first time
image by: ermyj, taken at the chapel at the 3rd Station, Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, Israel
Station 4: Jesus meets his mother, Mary
image by: Welcoming Spirit (Paula Jenkins), painting by Degrazia, photo taken at the De Grazia Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, USA
Station 5: Simon of Cyrene carries the cross
image by: Jerry Dougherty, taken at St John Church in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, USA
Station 6: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
image by: bott.richard, taken at Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, QC, CA.
Station 7: Jesus falls the second time
image by: bott.richard, taken at Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, QC, CA.
Station 8: Jesus meets the woman of Jerusalem
image by: gracearcs
Station 9: Jesus falls for the third time
image by: kdixon (Kate B Dixon), taken above Dili, Timor Leste
Station 10: Jesus is stripped of His garments
image by: elycefeliz, taken at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Station 11: Jesus is nailed upon the cross
image by: MartinJon
Station 12: Jesus dies on the cross
image by: elycefeliz, taken at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Station 13: Jesus’ body is removed from the cross (Pieta)
image by: borablu, sculpture by Michelangelo, Vatican City
Station 14: Jesus is placed in the tomb and covered in incense
image by: dgbb1979, taken in Cebu City, Central Visaya, PH
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Comments
5 responses to “Stations of the Cross: A Modern Approach for a Rainy Day Retreat”
Great post…wonderful pictures. I sometimes forget to let go and let faith take over…especially with Easter around the corner. I hope you and yours have a lovely holiday.
Lola
http://beeyoutifulyou.blogspot.com/
Thanks Lola 🙂 Have a blessed Easter.
It’s a good thing you thought of this. People today forget these old traditions. It’s good to be reminded.
Oh, I absolutely love this. Thank you so much for sharing all the fabulous photos. We do a stations of the cross at our church, but this was even more meaningful to me.
Wow. I was so struck by the different artistic representations of the stations. I keep settling on those words: Jesus falls…
Jesus falls for the first time… For the second time … for the third time.
Even the journey to the cross was so incredibly difficult. Unfathomable, really.