catholicPittsburgh.org

by John Houk

From earliest Christian times it has been popular, for those who had the health and money, to take a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. These pilgrims often came home with stories of a powerful spiritual experience as they walked “the way of the cross”. In 1342 the Franciscans Order took responsibility for many holy sites in Jerusalem including those marking the path Jesus took when he carried his cross to his own crucifixion. The Franciscans took it upon themselves to popularize a devotion to the spiritual exercise of walking the way of the cross.

The Franciscans wanted everyone to be able to have this experience including those who did not have the money or health to make the long trip to the Holy Land. So soon after 1342 in Western Europe it became common to come upon a series of shrines portraying the way of the cross. They were to be found along roadsides, in church yards and even inside churches. One Franciscan by the name of Leonard of Port Maurice, is credited with setting up over 500 sets of shrines. These shrines eventually came to be called “stations” and the practice of praying at each station became know as praying The Stations of The Cross.

Today it is less common to find Stations of The Cross along the road sides, but you will find them in many church yards, on the grounds of monasteries and retreat centers and inside essentially every Catholic Church. The prayer intention is always the same, to walk with Jesus as he carries his cross.