Stations of the Cross crucifix

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I found this on the web, and am wondering if anyone can enlighten me about this:

“A Station Crucifix is a crucifix specially blessed for the indulgences of the Way of the Cross by a priest having the faculty, with a single sign of the cross.” (The quote is from Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., who is someone I consider to be a reliable authority.*)

Would any crucifix do?
Could it be the crucifix that is attached to a Stations of the Cross Chaplet?
Do all priests have this faculty?

*therealpresence.org/archives/Prayer/Prayer_008.htm
 
cgoodson2002 said:
I found this on the web, and am wondering if anyone can enlighten me about this:

“A Station Crucifix is a crucifix specially blessed for the indulgences of the Way of the Cross by a priest having the faculty, with a single sign of the cross.” (The quote is from Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., who is someone I consider to be a reliable authority.*)

Would any crucifix do?
Could it be the crucifix that is attached to a Stations of the Cross Chaplet?
Do all priests have this faculty?

*therealpresence.org/archives/Prayer/Prayer_008.htm
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Oh my. This is a trip down Memory Lane. It’s a topic I haven’t had occasion to talk about in a very long time.

Any crucifix would have been allowable, provided it was durable but it did have to have a raised corpus, as I remember. It was a reserved blessing. It was the General and Provincials and the local Superiors of the Franciscan Friars who had this faculty.

I was given one of these station crucifixes decades ago, before I was ordained, by an elderly Franciscan friar who had the faculty to bless these.

We used to attach indulgences to different religious articles. I remember, for example, the Dominican priests could impart a blessing to the standard rosary that would grant more indulgences. (It doesn’t work the same way today…although there is a remnant of it: there is an extra plenary indulgence that one could gaine once a year, on the Solemnity of Peter and Paul, if you have an object of piety that is blessed by the pope or a bishop and you make a profession of faith on that day and use it.)

These station crucifixes were especially useful then for shut-ins and those in hospital, allowing them to make the Stations of the Cross, and gain the attached plenary indulgence, when they could not access the Stations of the Cross. The Stations then, of course, were specially erected in a church or oratory that had been accorded the privilege and they had to be erected by one who had that faculty by grant or by delegation.

Blessed Paul VI completely revised indulgences in 1967. The current Enchiridion of Indulgences makes the following grant:

*The Enchiridion Of Indulgences
38

(Viae Crucis exercitium)
A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who make the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross. In the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross we recall anew the sufferings, which the divine Redeemer endured, while going from the praetorium of Pilate, where he was condemned to death, to the mount of Calvary, where he died on the cross for our salvation.

The gaining of the plenary indulgence is regulated by the following norms:

1) The pious exercise must be made before stations of the Way of the Cross legitimately erected.
2) For the erection of the Way of the Cross fourteen crosses are required, to which it is customary to add fourteen pictures or images, which represent the stations of Jerusalem.
3) According to the more common practice, the pious exercise consists of fourteen pious readings, to which some vocal prayers are added. However, nothing more is required than a pious meditation on the Passion and Death of the Lord, which need not be a particular consideration of the individual mysteries of the stations.
4) A movement from one station to the next is required.
But if the pious exercise is made publicly and if it is not possible for all taking part to go in an orderly way from station to station, it suffices if at least the one conducting the exercise goes from station to station, the others remaining in their place.

Those who are “impeded” can gain the same indulgence, if they spend at least one half an hour in pious reading and meditation on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.​
*
Which essentially means that you can now accomplish the Way of the Cross and gain the indulgence without needing a specially blessed crucifix.

Also in the wake of the reform, with the new Rituale Romanum, the number of reserved blessings, especially regarding sacramentals, are greatly reduced and actually relatively few.

I wonder when Father Hardon wrote this? He would be something over a hundred now, you know. God rest his soul. I remember him. He was ordained in 1947 or thereabouts, as best I remember; the station crucifixes were popular in that era.
 
Don_Ruggero said:
…although there is a remnant of it: there is an extra plenary indulgence that one could gaine once a year, on the Solemnity of Peter and Paul, if you have an object of piety that is blessed by the pope or a bishop and you make a profession of faith on that day and use it.
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Hello Father,

I have a statue of the Sacred Heart, and an Agnus Dei plaque which have been blessed by our current bishop, I also have a medal that was blessed by St Pope John Paul and my wife has a set of rosary beads blessed by him. So could we gain this plenary indulgence through use of any of these objects (if the other conditions for plenary indulgence are met)?
 
Brendan_64 said:
Hello Father,

I have a statue of the Sacred Heart, and an Agnus Dei plaque which have been blessed by our current bishop, I also have a medal that was blessed by St Pope John Paul and my wife has a set of rosary beads blessed by him. So could we gain this plenary indulgence through use of any of these objects (if the other conditions for plenary indulgence are met)?
Click to expand...
The Enchiridion Of Indulgences
  1. Use of Articles of Devotion
    (Obiectorum pietatis usus)
The faithful, who devoutly use an article of devotion (crucifix or cross, rosary. scapular or medal) properly blessed by any priest, obtain a partial indulgence.

(In order to bless an article of devotion properly the priest uses the prescribed formula, if there is any; otherwise, he makes a simple sign of the cross toward the article of devotion, laudably adding the words: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In practice, a formula is to be used in the public blessing of scapulars, while a sign of the cross suffices for other cases.)

But if the article of devotion has been blessed by the Sovereign Pontiff or by any Bishop, the faithful, using it, can also gain a plenary indulgence on the feast of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul, provided they also make a profession of faith according to any legitimate formula.

The above grant is taken from the Apostolic Constitution “The Doctrine of Indulgences,” Norms.

[The Apostles Creed or Nicene Creed are both legitimate for the profession of faith. The usual conditions apply: confession, communion and prayer for the intention of the Holy Father.]
 
Thanks, Don Ruggero: I can’t tell from the site where I found this when it was written, but I am sure it was indeed a long time ago! I am not impeded from making the Stations in church–in fact, I can do it after Mass on Friday mornings–but I do use this Stations chaplet at home, because it’s a devotion that I find meaningful. I may ask my parish priest to bless my chaplet anyway, because it makes me feel better, LOL!

As usual, you are a fountain of knowledge! Perhaps it is wrong of me to say this, but I am not really much concerned about indulgences–I think Jesus just likes us to pray without worrying about accumulating benefits 🙂
 
Don_Ruggero said:
The Enchiridion Of Indulgences
  1. Use of Articles of Devotion
    (Obiectorum pietatis usus)
The faithful, who devoutly use an article of devotion (crucifix or cross, rosary. scapular or medal) properly blessed by any priest, obtain a partial indulgence.

(In order to bless an article of devotion properly the priest uses the prescribed formula, if there is any; otherwise, he makes a simple sign of the cross toward the article of devotion, laudably adding the words: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In practice, a formula is to be used in the public blessing of scapulars, while a sign of the cross suffices for other cases.)

But if the article of devotion has been blessed by the Sovereign Pontiff or by any Bishop, the faithful, using it, can also gain a plenary indulgence on the feast of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul, provided they also make a profession of faith according to any legitimate formula.

The above grant is taken from the Apostolic Constitution “The Doctrine of Indulgences,” Norms.

[The Apostles Creed or Nicene Creed are both legitimate for the profession of faith. The usual conditions apply: confession, communion and prayer for the intention of the Holy Father.]
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I will make sure to do just that on the next Feast of St Peter & St Paul.

I didn’t think it made any difference whether an item was blessed by either a priest, a bishop or even a pope. Now I know it does.

Thank you Father.
 
Usually,the alter boy come out with the Cross attach too the pole, the priest say the pray,s at the alter ,than proceeds too the first station and the alter stand,s in front of the station with the Cross and tell,s us the first station is,then he siad,s the prays we say ,ongoes on too the next station,etc.
 
cgoodson2002 said:
I found this on the web, and am wondering if anyone can enlighten me about this:

“A Station Crucifix is a crucifix specially blessed for the indulgences of the Way of the Cross by a priest having the faculty, with a single sign of the cross.” (The quote is from Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., who is someone I consider to be a reliable authority.*)

Would any crucifix do?
Could it be the crucifix that is attached to a Stations of the Cross Chaplet?
Do all priests have this faculty?

*therealpresence.org/archives/Prayer/Prayer_008.htm
Click to expand...
As a member of Father Hardon’s Marian Catechist Lay Apostolate {and having been blessed to have known him for a few lessons} I SUSPECT ANY BLESSED Crucifix would do

It is the DESIRE of both the Church and our God to grant us very many graces. Often these are conditional; but seldom at they TRULY difficult.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS located in churches ARE normally Blessed and “sacred items.”

I’ll be watching this STRING for other replies,

Blessings,

Patrick PJM
 
The_Apostolate said:
Usually,the alter boy come out with the Cross attach too the pole, the priest say the pray,s at the alter ,than proceeds too the first station and the alter stand,s in front of the station with the Cross and tell,s us the first station is,then he siad,s the prays we say ,ongoes on too the next station,etc.
Click to expand...
What the original poster is asking about is a small object of piety that was called a “station crucifix.” It was a small crucifix that one could hold in one’s hand or place around the neck and use to gain the indulgences attached to the Stations of the Cross. It was primarily for those who were shut-ins and could not go to the church to accomplish this devotion.

What you are talking about is the processional cross that is often used at public Stations of the Cross. No member of the faithful would have a processional cross in their home.
 
PJM said:
As a member of Father Hardon’s Marian Catechist Lay Apostolate {and having been blessed to have known him for a few lessons} I SUSPECT ANY BLESSED Crucifix would do

It is the DESIRE of both the Church and our God to grant us very many graces. Often these are conditional; but seldom at they TRULY difficult.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS located in churches ARE normally Blessed and “sacred items.”

I’ll be watching this STRING for other replies,

Blessings,

Patrick PJM
Click to expand...
Well, look. There are blessed crucifixes and anyone may use a blessed crucifix to good spiritual effect. I have already quoted the enchiridion about that.

That, however, is not what the original poster asked. The original poster asked about a very specific object of piety: the station crucifix.

“I SUSPECT ANY BLESSED Crucifix would do” is actually a not helpful answer. If one is seeking to know the disposition of something, rather than suspecting and arriving at an erroneous conclusion, may I suggest that one is best served by actually obtaining the correct answer…if it can be had. In this case, any blessed crucifix is not a station crucifix.

The station crucifix was regulated by the Apostolic Penitentiary. The blessing was a reserved one and actually relatively few priests were granted that faculty. The old grant allowed a person to hold (or have about them) this specially blessed crucifix and specifically pray 20 Paters, Aves and Glorias…one set for each station, one set for each of the five wounds of Christ, and one set for the intentions of the Pope…and one thereby gained the various indulgences attached to doing the Stations of the Cross.

Yes, today anyone could hold any blessed crucifix and say the same prayers but it would not have the same effect today as it did in the era we are speaking about when using the station crucifix. There is certainly no harm in saying 20 Paters, Aves and Glorias but if one today is wanting to do the exercise of the Way of the Cross while being unable to go to church, then they should do what is prescribed in the Enchiridion of Indulgences, that I posted above. IF what they want is to gain the indulgence for the action.

Again, all of this was before the reform of indulgences by Blessed Paul VI that limited plenary indulgences to one per day (abolishing the toties quoties indulgences) and that revised many aspects of gaining indulgences.

I tend to be very precise on these things specifically because station crucifixes today are very rare. Like a rosary blessed by the pope, one should regard them for what they are. The station crucifix is a specially blessed crucifix for a specific purpose. A rosary blessed by the pope is different from a rosary blessed, for example, by me – it should be treasured as such.

Finally, I am not saying the Stations of the Cross are not blessed. Of course they are. What I am saying is that before the reform of the Rituale Romanum, the blessing was also a reserved blessing. The reserve on this blessing was subsequently revised.

And actually I need to add an update to my earlier post. In broaching the subject of a topic I haven’t encountered in decades, the station crucifix, I was updated by a priest confrere who is still teaching liturgy and sacraments (I am retired) that the enchiridion has actually been subsequently revised such that the grant of a plenary indulgence is now for approximately 15 minutes of pious reading/meditation rather than 30 minutes (as it was formerly), if one is impeded from making the Way of the Cross in its customary manner. Unfortunately, I don’t have at hand the English version of this new disposition; I consulted the Latin editio typica but this website does not appreciate it if I post in a non-English language.
 
Don_Ruggero said:
What the original poster is asking about is a small object of piety that was called a “station crucifix.” It was a small crucifix that one could hold in one’s hand or place around the neck and use to gain the indulgences attached to the Stations of the Cross. It was primarily for those who were shut-ins and could not go to the church to accomplish this devotion.

What you are talking about is the processional cross that is often used at public Stations of the Cross. No member of the faithful would have a processional cross in their home.
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OK ,so I missed understood the question,next time I,ll read it more slowly.
 
The_Apostolate said:
OK ,so I missed understood the question,next time I,ll read it more slowly.
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I assure you that I did not mean it critically. I am in a polyglot environment. When we switch languages, especially quickly, it is easy to miss what is above all technical language and we help each other transition from one vocabulary to another. I apologise if you understood my remark it in any other sense.
 
This was an informative thread. On a related question:

Walking by a yard sale a while back I spotted what turned out to be a Stations of the Cross scroll box. I bought it for some cheap amount. Basically it is a crucifix on top of a box with a crank that when you turn it scrolls through pictures of the stations. Is there a way that using that could be indulgenced?
 
Don_Ruggero said:
Well, look. There are blessed crucifixes and anyone may use a blessed crucifix to good spiritual effect. I have already quoted the enchiridion about that.

That, however, is not what the original poster asked. The original poster asked about a very specific object of piety: the station crucifix.

“I SUSPECT ANY BLESSED Crucifix would do” is actually a not helpful answer. If one is seeking to know the disposition of something, rather than suspecting and arriving at an erroneous conclusion, may I suggest that one is best served by actually obtaining the correct answer…if it can be had. In this case, any blessed crucifix is not a station crucifix.

The station crucifix was regulated by the Apostolic Penitentiary. The blessing was a reserved one and actually relatively few priests were granted that faculty. The old grant allowed a person to hold (or have about them) this specially blessed crucifix and specifically pray 20 Paters, Aves and Glorias…one set for each station, one set for each of the five wounds of Christ, and one set for the intentions of the Pope…and one thereby gained the various indulgences attached to doing the Stations of the Cross.

Yes, today anyone could hold any blessed crucifix and say the same prayers but it would not have the same effect today as it did in the era we are speaking about when using the station crucifix. There is certainly no harm in saying 20 Paters, Aves and Glorias but if one today is wanting to do the exercise of the Way of the Cross while being unable to go to church, then they should do what is prescribed in the Enchiridion of Indulgences, that I posted above. IF what they want is to gain the indulgence for the action.

Again, all of this was before the reform of indulgences by Blessed Paul VI that limited plenary indulgences to one per day (abolishing the toties quoties indulgences) and that revised many aspects of gaining indulgences.

I tend to be very precise on these things specifically because station crucifixes today are very rare. Like a rosary blessed by the pope, one should regard them for what they are. The station crucifix is a specially blessed crucifix for a specific purpose. A rosary blessed by the pope is different from a rosary blessed, for example, by me – it should be treasured as such.

Finally, I am not saying the Stations of the Cross are not blessed. Of course they are. What I am saying is that before the reform of the Rituale Romanum, the blessing was also a reserved blessing. The reserve on this blessing was subsequently revised.

And actually I need to add an update to my earlier post. In broaching the subject of a topic I haven’t encountered in decades, the station crucifix, I was updated by a priest confrere who is still teaching liturgy and sacraments (I am retired) that the enchiridion has actually been subsequently revised such that the grant of a plenary indulgence is now for approximately 15 minutes of pious reading/meditation rather than 30 minutes (as it was formerly), if one is impeded from making the Way of the Cross in its customary manner. Unfortunately, I don’t have at hand the English version of this new disposition; I consulted the Latin editio typica but this website does not appreciate it if I post in a non-English language.
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THANK YOU my friend for the correction.🙂

I had never heard of the term before and Goggled it and could finf NO information on “it” as termed?🤷

So while NOT disagreeing with you; I too am eager to learn more about it.

God Bless you,
Patrick
 
PJM said:
THANK YOU my friend for the correction.🙂

I had never heard of the term before and Goggled it and could finf NO information on “it” as termed?🤷

So while NOT disagreeing with you; I too am eager to learn more about it.

God Bless you,
Patrick
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Well, in all honesty, I am not surprised you have not heard the term. I was somewhat shocked when I came across it here in this forum. The last time I had a real conversation about this was…perhaps…in the 1970s.

As I said, I have one of these. It was given to me by a Franciscan Friar years before I was ordained and back when I was a young aspirant to the priesthood. The friar was quite elderly at that point but he had been given this faculty I don’t know how many years before and he explained the sacramental very well. I can’t remember his name at this point but he had a responsibility relative to the programme.

It was an apostolate the Franciscans had. They were the great promoters, once upon a time, of the Way of the Cross because of the history of that devotion. The Way of the Cross was something I’ve always treasured and that led to this friar gifting me with this crucifix. This sacramental was something devised that allowed the housebound to gain the indulgences for the Stations of the Cross but it could be used in traveling and so forth.

Father Hardon, as I remember, was ordained just after the War so I am not surprised he knew and promoted these. It’s a perfectly lovely thing but it’s not how those who are impeded would today do the Way of the Cross…we changed all that in 1967. Anyone, anywhere, now could gain the indulgence for making the Way of the Cross without needing to possess one of these crucifixes.

There are so many things like this…sacramentals that passed out of vogue. As another example, and speaking of the Franciscans, I was a member of their Archconfraternity of the Cord of Saint Francis as well as the Guard of Honor of the Immaculate Heart. Over the course of my day, as I go about my rounds, I still say the prayers as they’re in my memory. The last time I visited the friars in Assisi, I asked and the archconfraternity is still around though the focus is really on the secular order and that’s what they direct people to nowadays. As for the Guard of Honor…the elderly friars vaguely remembered it had existed and, like here, the younger were curious as to what I was talking about. I shouldn’t be at all surprised to learn I am among the last living members…though surely Our Blessed Lady does not want for devotees of her Immaculate Heart notwithstanding.

These sorts of things exist as references in various books that are becoming ever more obscure but, as with the Station Crucifix, I think it is really more convenient if you can find someone who remembers it – at least as long as we are still among the living. I am hardly surprised at the lack of reference on the Internet about these things.

If you seriously want to learn more about the Station Crucifix, I looked in one of the old manuals for you and I have a reference you can track down. You’d have to go back to the Acta Apostolicae Sedis of 1933…but here are the references:

*III. The Station Crucifix.

All those who are legitimately hindered from making the Stations of the Cross, can gain the indulgences of the Stations of the Cross if they hold a crucifix blessed for that purpose in their hand and say twenty Paters, Aves and Glorias, and briefly meditate or reflect on the Passion of Christ.

If on account of manual labor or any other reasonable cause the faithful are hindered from holding the Station Crucifix in their hand according to the prescribed form, they can gain the indulgences attached to it provided that when saying the prescribed prayers they carry the Station Crucifix in any manner on their person. A. A. S., 1933,
p. 502.
  1. Faculty to Bless the Station Crucifix: the General, all the Provincials and local superiors of the Order of Friars Minor, have by virtue of their office, and in their absence, their representatives, as specified in the General Constitutions.
Since April 1, 1933, the General of the Order of Friars Minor can delegate this faculty only to priests of the Order. However, those priests outside of the Order who had obtained this delegation prior to April 1, 1933, can still use it. A. A. S., 1933, p. 322. *
 
Don_Ruggero said:
Well, in all honesty, I am not surprised you have not heard the term. I was somewhat shocked when I came across it here in this forum. The last time I had a real conversation about this was…perhaps…in the 1970s.

As I said, I have one of these. It was given to me by a Franciscan Friar years before I was ordained and back when I was a young aspirant to the priesthood. The friar was quite elderly at that point but he had been given this faculty I don’t know how many years before and he explained the sacramental very well. I can’t remember his name at this point but he had a responsibility relative to the programme.

It was an apostolate the Franciscans had. They were the great promoters, once upon a time, of the Way of the Cross because of the history of that devotion. The Way of the Cross was something I’ve always treasured and that led to this friar gifting me with this crucifix. This sacramental was something devised that allowed the housebound to gain the indulgences for the Stations of the Cross but it could be used in traveling and so forth.

Father Hardon, as I remember, was ordained just after the War so I am not surprised he knew and promoted these. It’s a perfectly lovely thing but it’s not how those who are impeded would today do the Way of the Cross…we changed all that in 1967. Anyone, anywhere, now could gain the indulgence for making the Way of the Cross without needing to possess one of these crucifixes.

There are so many things like this…sacramentals that passed out of vogue. As another example, and speaking of the Franciscans, I was a member of their Archconfraternity of the Cord of Saint Francis as well as the Guard of Honor of the Immaculate Heart. Over the course of my day, as I go about my rounds, I still say the prayers as they’re in my memory. The last time I visited the friars in Assisi, I asked and the archconfraternity is still around though the focus is really on the secular order and that’s what they direct people to nowadays. As for the Guard of Honor…the elderly friars vaguely remembered it had existed and, like here, the younger were curious as to what I was talking about. I shouldn’t be at all surprised to learn I am among the last living members…though surely Our Blessed Lady does not want for devotees of her Immaculate Heart notwithstanding.

These sorts of things exist as references in various books that are becoming ever more obscure but, as with the Station Crucifix, I think it is really more convenient if you can find someone who remembers it – at least as long as we are still among the living. I am hardly surprised at the lack of reference on the Internet about these things.

If you seriously want to learn more about the Station Crucifix, I looked in one of the old manuals for you and I have a reference you can track down. You’d have to go back to the Acta Apostolicae Sedis of 1933…but here are the references:

*III. The Station Crucifix.

All those who are legitimately hindered from making the Stations of the Cross, can gain the indulgences of the Stations of the Cross if they hold a crucifix blessed for that purpose in their hand and say twenty Paters, Aves and Glorias, and briefly meditate or reflect on the Passion of Christ.

If on account of manual labor or any other reasonable cause the faithful are hindered from holding the Station Crucifix in their hand according to the prescribed form, they can gain the indulgences attached to it provided that when saying the prescribed prayers they carry the Station Crucifix in any manner on their person. A. A. S., 1933,
p. 502.
  1. Faculty to Bless the Station Crucifix: the General, all the Provincials and local superiors of the Order of Friars Minor, have by virtue of their office, and in their absence, their representatives, as specified in the General Constitutions.
Since April 1, 1933, the General of the Order of Friars Minor can delegate this faculty only to priests of the Order. However, those priests outside of the Order who had obtained this delegation prior to April 1, 1933, can still use it. A. A. S., 1933, p. 322. *
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WOW!

Thanks so very much!

It’s nice at 71 to still learn things:)

God Bless you!

Patrick
 
Oh that is lovely.

No, mine doesn’t have the stations of the cross on it. In fact it is not artistic at all. To the contrary, it’s very simple.

I have seen crucifixes like the one pictured. Unfortunately, as with rosaries blessed by the pope, if you don’t know it has a particular blessing, there is nothing that physically distinguishes them.
 
Genesis315 said:
This was an informative thread. On a related question:

Walking by a yard sale a while back I spotted what turned out to be a Stations of the Cross scroll box. I bought it for some cheap amount. Basically it is a crucifix on top of a box with a crank that when you turn it scrolls through pictures of the stations. Is there a way that using that could be indulgenced?
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It’s possible that it had been but I would say it was very highly unlikely. Back when an object would have had indulgences attached to it, one of the requirements was that it had to be sturdy (or I should maybe render it as “durable”). I can’t quite picture in my mind what a scroll box would look like but if it is significantly scroll, then I would say not.

In any event, objects enriched with indulgences lost their indulgences when bought and sold.

On the other hand, today one can gain the indulgence for the Stations of the Cross by pious reading or meditation on the passion for 15 minutes. If you use this object of piety and spent basically one minute with each of the stations, you could gain the indulgence.

One of the purposes of the reform by Blessed Paul VI was so that you did not have to rely on specially blessed religious articles or objects of piety that had been enriched with indulgences in order to gain the indulgence(s)…you could say the rosary on your fingers or use any sort of book or sacramental (or nothing) to meditate on the Stations of the Cross and gain the indulgence without a specially blessed and indulgenced religious article. The reform was meant to simplify and to extend the indulgences and, to an extent, to initiate a healthy reform.
 
Thanks for taking the time to reply! 🙂
Don_Ruggero said:
Oh that is lovely.

No, mine doesn’t have the stations of the cross on it. In fact it is not artistic at all. To the contrary, it’s very simple.

I have seen crucifixes like the one pictured. Unfortunately, as with rosaries blessed by the pope, if you don’t know it has a particular blessing, there is nothing that physically distinguishes them.
Click to expand...
 
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