Please could I have some (name removed by moderator)ut regarding following the stations in church. Is there a set way of following the stations?
No.
More on that later.
By this I mean from the time I attended stations as a little child the congregation turned towards the station that the priest and the altar servers stood at. In this position, one’s back was never turned towards the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle. The Parishioner always stood facing either left or right.
That was the right thing to do at that time and place.
Now-a-days, some people just stand facing the altar, others kneel throughout facing the altar and a fair amount of parishioners follow by turning towards the station.
Likewise, the right thing at that time and place (at least, most likely)
Is there any set procedure to follow??
No. Not one set by the Church.
The Stations of the Cross are in a category of prayer that’s officially called “Popular Piety.” I’ll get to that in a moment.
A different category of prayer is “Liturgy” or variations on that word, such as “Liturgical Prayer” etc. The Church’s liturgy is governed by rules and rubrics and words that are set by the Church. Liturgy is also universal, meaning that every country and culture has the same liturgy, with only some minor cultural variations. The seven Sacraments are Liturgy. The dedication of a new cathedral is Liturgy. Another distinguishing characteristic of Liturgy is that it is necessary for the life of the Church. We must have the Sacraments. We must have cathedrals.
Popular piety refers to forms of prayer that have developed over time and have become familiar to Catholics. They are not necessarily universal. So, for example, a coastal country might have a special festival in honor of a patron saint of sailors.
The Stations of the Cross are a form of popular piety. As such, the Church does not have established rules for praying the Stations. They can vary, as indeed they do vary greatly.
Officially, the Stations of the Cross are the actual wooden crosses around the church. The images are optional (a fact that surprises most people). What’s interesting here is that the dedication and blessing of the Stations is part of the Liturgy of the Church (there is an official blessing and there are rules), but praying the Stations is popular piety. Before 1965, a church needed permission to display the Stations, and some churches still display the rescript authorizing the erection of the Stations for historic purposes.
The “right” way to do the Stations is to follow whatever format is being used at that particular parish at that particular moment.
If the pastor has given directions that say “everyone faces the Stations” or “everyone kneels facing the tabernacle” then that’s the right way to do it. If the directions are “everyone genuflects at the words ‘We adore You O Christ…’ and stands after ‘…redeemed the world’” then that is the right way to do it.
At my own parish, we have a set of outdoor Stations, which we use weather-permitting. When we do those, everyone processes from one Station to the next. When we’re indoors, only the clerics and altar boys process. Outdoors, no one genuflects. The only reason I mention this is to illustrate that the way the Stations are prayed can vary even within the same parish.
In the
absence of any such directions, one should feel free to do whatever you are accustomed to doing; within reason, of course. If you’re a visitor and it seems that mostly everyone is doing the same thing, then follow-along.
Unless directed otherwise, I personally suggest that people should face whatever Stations is being prayed at that moment. The images help us to focus our minds on the event.
