Stations of the Cross is a popular Lenten devotion

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Stations of the Cross, such as this one at Saint James the Just Catholic Church in Ogden, can be found in most Catholic churches around the world.

SALT LAKE CITY — Most parishes in the Diocese of Salt Lake City offer the Stations of the Cross each Friday during Lent. This devotion was developed in medieval times by Christians who wanted to prayerfully accompany Christ to Golgotha but could not travel to Jerusalem. In modern times, the stations can be “found in almost every church throughout the world,” according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

These stations often take the form of plaques on the walls of the church.

The Catholic Church encourages popular devotions such as the Stations of the Cross. Although the sacred liturgy of the Mass “is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed,” a person’s spiritual life “is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy,” as Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, states.

Christians are called to pray without ceasing, and “Popular devotional practices play a crucial role in helping to foster this ceaseless prayer,” states the USCCB at https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/popular-devotional-practices-basic-questions-and-answers.

This concurs with Sacrosanctum Concilium, which states, “Popular devotions of the Christian people are to be highly commended, provided they accord with the laws and norms of the Church.”

The Stations of the Cross “commemorates Jesus’s passion and death on the cross,” states https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/prayers-devotions/stations. The stations take participants through 14 steps of the Passion of Christ. The steps, or stations, can vary. Traditionally they begin with Jesus being condemned to death; however, those based on Scripture start with the Agony in the Garden.

All of the stations end with Jesus being placed in the sepulchre, although a 15th station may be added, which is that of the women finding the tomb empty.

The Traditional Stations of the Cross

1. Jesus is condemned to death.

2. Jesus carries the cross.

3. Jesus falls for the first time.

4. Jesus meets his sorrowing mother.

5. Simon of Cyrene helps carry the cross.

6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.

7. Jesus falls a second time.

8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.

9. Jesus falls a third time.

10. Jesus is stripped of his clothing.

11. Jesus is nailed to the cross.

12. Jesus dies on the cross

13. Jesus’ body is taken down from the cross.

14. Jesus’ body is laid in the tomb.

The Scriptural Stations of the Cross

1. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

2. Jesus is arrested.

3. Jesus is condemned to death.

4. Peter denies Jesus.

5. Jesus is judged by Pilate.

6. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns.

7. Jesus carries the cross.

8. Simon of Cyrene helps carry the cross.

9. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.

10. Jesus is crucified.

11. Jesus promises paradise to the Good Thief.

12. Jesus speaks to his mother and the Beloved Disciple.

13. Jesus dies on the cross.

14. Jesus is laid in the tomb.

Other arrangements of the stations are possible.

During the devotion, participants often walk from station to station, stopping at each to meditate and pray. There are many versions of these prayers. One famous version was composed by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, but popes also have written prayers for this purpose. For example, Pope John Paul II wrote his own reflections/prayers for the Good Friday Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum, and his successors have followed suit. Last year Pope Francis released a Way of the Cross that may be found at https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2024/documents/ns_lit_doc_20240329_via-crucis-meditazioni_en.html.

A month before he was elected pope in 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote meditations and prayers for the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum; these may be found at https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2005/documents/ns_lit_doc_20050325_via-crucis_en.html.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also offers prayers and meditations for the Scriptural Stations of the Cross; these may be found at https://www.usccb.org/prayers/scriptural-stations-cross.