Stations of the Cross

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Every Friday during lent my parish has Stations of the Cross in the evening. I really want to go, but I have no idea what to do. Most of the guides I have found online seem to be for doing it on your own. What happens when you go at a scheduled time? I asked and was informed there is a sort of guide available when you arrive, but I’d like to be a little prepared ahead of time.
 
My parish provides little booklets that you follow. Though I’ve never been to Stations at another church, I’m pretty sure it’ll be much the same where you are. It’s certainly not difficult.
 
The service involving the Stations of the Cross does not have set rubrics. I’d say, just expect prayer 🙂
 
Chances are, there will be a booklet. Just follow along, and do what every one else is doing.

(Kind of like at mass. :o)
 
I’m going to go to the Living Stations of the Cross performance in Detroit this Lent season. I hope nothing exceptional is required there as I don’t know what to do either to follow along!
 
It’s really easy & super prayerful. Generally speaking, there’s probably a thin booklet when you come in to borrow & follow along with the Priest or Deacon who leads this prayer service. Everyone faces the first station & listens to the leader read the corresponding Gospel Scripture and meditates on what Jesus does there. The congregation reads their part from the booklet. Everyone kneels when they pray, “We adore you O’ Christ and we praise you because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the World.” Everyone stands & then the priest moves to the second station & does likewise and so on. There might be a short hymn afterword. Return the booklet to where it came from. 👍
 
I’ve been to a few different ones.

You’ll notice that every church usually has the stations of the cross posted along the walls. Typically the priest processes around the church stopping at each station to say prayers. Sometimes people process with the priest, sometimes they just stay in the pews.

At each station the priest announces the station (e.g. “The Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus”), then the priest says “We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.” and you respond “Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.” The priest then reads a reflection on the station, and then leads the people in an Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be. Sometimes at the end the priest says “Jesus Christ Crucified” and you respond “Have mercy on us” and then the priest says “May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.” and you say “Amen.”

Then the priest goes to the next station, etc until they have all been done.

Sometimes the people kneel at each station.

But like the above posters have said, it is a little different at every church. But this at least gives you a rough idea.
 
The biggest thing to note is that I have never been to Stations of the Cross and not had a booklet to follow. (Unless you arrive really late, and they have run out.)

And there are always people there that have never been before that time. So, you are not alone. 👍
 
The church will provide a booklet to follow that not only tells you what to say and when, but also tells you what to do…stand, kneel, genuflect…

Please go ahead and attend. By the 3rd station, you will have caught on to the rythum of the service

I LOVE going to stations and I go every week. It helps that my Parish offers a free simple lenten supper to encourage people to attend…but it is also sad the number of people who come for dinner and leave before stations.
 
Yep, its a wonderful, reverent service. Our parish uses the Ligourian method of saying the Stations of the Cross.

We start the evening with a soup supper in the church hall then go over for the Stations.
 
OH.

O, my Jesus. That is an exclamation, not a blasphemy.

I just got back. There were indeed guides available (in large print too, good since I had my contacts out), but I feel silly for having worried about this at all.

I think if I weren’t already in the process of converting, having just attended this service, I would be now. It was awesome in the true sense of the word. I was in tears, although I maybe do cry easily…

If anyone else reading this thread is wondering whether they should go: YES.
 
Let me tell you that during my first Lenten season, from the Stations of the Cross, to Holy Week, to the Triddum, it was the most profound sense of worshipping of Our Lord I have ever had in my life that it’s what really pushed me forward to get into RCIA and become fully iniciated at the following Easter Vigil.

Enjoy and soak up every moment of your Lenten journey. Enter the mystery with your heart wide open to receive the Spirit.

It’s profound. It’s humbling. And the fact that it is “new” to you, adds a demention of awe.

God Bless!
 
Yesterday night I attended one. A group of teenagers set up unmoving scenes (tableau ?) of the stations, and someone read the usual prayers and meditations. The scenes really set true emotions about the suffering of our Lord.

Newt week (as in the last year) a choir will sing the Stabat Mater (Pergolesi), accompanying with the same prayers and meditations (Last year the pastor read them)

I believe the remaining Fridays will be just the prayers and meditations finished by a blessing with the Eucharist.

In Hungary in large churches the priest walked from the station to station (inside the church) using a hymn, meditation, prayer pattern for each. Some churches had outside stations toward a hill with the cross.
 
As a follow up question: We have exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at the end (or at least did last week) and the words are printed in the back of the missal, but not the tune. Is there anywhere that might have the sheet music or another way to learn this, so that I can pay more attention to the exposition and less trying to keep up with the tune and words?

Oh – in the Latin: O salutaris Hostia.
 
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