When did priests stop doing Stations of the Cross?

[mtoon]

My parish does the Stations every Friday during Lent. I went last night, and our pastor led us. Children from the parish did the scripture readings, but it was a solemn experience nonetheless. For each Station there was a break for meditation, during which our organist played selections from The Passion of the Christ and other songs. Afterward our parish has free cheese pizza.

It was a beautiful evening. I’m going to try to get my family to go next week.

That is such a cool idea!

 

[turtle18]

Signing on does NOT mean, however, that you are expected to work 12 hour days with no rest and no chance to go to dinner with friends, see a movie, or do any other things that most normal human beings do.

Yeah, it kinda of does–being a priest means devoting your entire life to God & we are talking about Lent here. He can’t go six Fridays without seeing a movie or eating out?

 

[foolishmortal]

Kansas City, Ks. has at least one parish that has the Stations. It’s a pretty good place (it and KC, Mo.) for Catholicism practicing.

 

[PaixGioiaAmor]

Yeah, it kinda of does–being a priest means devoting your entire life to God & we are talking about Lent here. He can’t go six Fridays without seeing a movie or eating out?

You obviously have never worked in a parish or been very close to a priest.

No offense intended to you personally - but you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

 

[WavyGravy]

You obviously have never worked in a parish or been very close to a priest.

No offense intended to you personally - but you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

How do you know? My current pastor DOES “work” 12 hours/day, at least. He takes one day off per week. That is also true of our parochial vicars. This is in very strong contrast to our former pastor who could rarely be found, even for a hospital call.

 

[masscup]

You obviously have never worked in a parish or been very close to a priest.

No offense intended to you personally - but you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

I’m not trying to be argumentative here but I disagree with your prior statement.

Signing on does NOT mean, however, that you are expected to work 12 hour days with no rest and no chance to go to dinner with friends, see a movie, or do any other things that most normal human beings do.

I believe that signing on does commit one to their flock 24-7. Of course priests are expected to have rest, dinner w/ friends, etc. However, the priority is the spiritual guidance of the flock. That is first and foremost above any and all personal considerations. That is part of accepting the responsibility of the vocation as a priest.

Of course I may be wrong as my only experience is with the religious priests in the holy orders, not with a diocesan priest.

God Bless.

 

[PaixGioiaAmor]

I don’t necessarily disagree with either of you. If annointing were needed for example, that takes priority over all things and a priest should make time.

Stations of the cross are not a sacrament. They do not involve the Eucharist. They are not even an official liturgy of the Church. There is NO REASON a lay person cannot or should not lead them. Leading stations is akin to leading grace at your dinner table.

 

[BennyBoy89]

I don’t necessarily disagree with either of you. If annointing were needed for example, that takes priority over all things and a priest should make time.

Stations of the cross are not a sacrament. They do not involve the Eucharist. They are not even an official liturgy of the Church. There is NO REASON a lay person cannot or should not lead them. Leading stations is akin to leading grace at your dinner table.

I agree that the Stations of the Cross can be just as beautiful and prayerful without a priest leading them. I’m sure a priest isn’t present everytime members of the parish assemble to pray the rosary in church. What matters is not who leads the Stations, but whether our hearts are truly present with Christ along His “Via Dolorosa.”

However, I do inderstand that having the parish priest leading the Stations makes the prayer more “special” and solemn, and a priest should overall be active in parish activites.

 

[allhers]

To my knowledge the Priests have never stopped doing it.
My entire life when I have gone anywhere, the Priests were the one’s leading the Stations of the Cross. I have been blessed!! We live near a Shrine and they do the Stations of the Cross even when it isn’t Lent. Our Parish has outdoor Stations and anyone can do them at anytime privately. The Priest lead them on Friday night’s during Lent.

 

[WavyGravy]

I don’t necessarily disagree with either of you. If annointing were needed for example, that takes priority over all things and a priest should make time.

Actually a priest would not leave the Mass to perform an anointing. He wouldn’t leave from the stations unless it was an emergency.

Stations of the cross are not a sacrament. They do not involve the Eucharist. They are not even an official liturgy of the Church. There is NO REASON a lay person cannot or should not lead them. Leading stations is akin to leading grace at your dinner table.

The leading of the Stations by our pastor said VOLUMES about him as our shepherd. Volumes of good things. It gave the entire liturgy a more formal and solemn feeling too.

 

[WavyGravy]

There is another reason why I much prefer a priest to lead the stations. From my personal experience when a layperson leads the stations, it’s invariably the wrong layperson! Be it a wanna-be priestess robed in her odd-looking “alb” or the sad individual who cannot read out loud, my experience with lay-leaders of the stations has been negative.

 

[chewchoo]

There is another reason why I much prefer a priest to lead the stations. From my personal experience when a layperson leads the stations, it’s invariably the wrong layperson! Be it a wanna-be priestess robed in her odd-looking “alb” or the sad individual who cannot read out loud, my experience with lay-leaders of the stations has been negative.

not all priests are gifted with speaking skills either.

our lay people that lead the stations do a wonderful job. one time i even carried a candle in the procession around the church to each station. it was a wonderful, powerful experience. lay lead stations gave me that opportunity.

 

[WavyGravy]

not all priests are gifted with speaking skills either.

our lay people that lead the stations do a wonderful job. one time i even carried a candle in the procession around the church to each station. it was a wonderful, powerful experience. lay lead stations gave me that opportunity.

Oh, I know not all priests are good speakers. And while I certainly hope it’s not the same at all parishes, there is most certainly a lay liturgical clique that dominates such events around here when the pastor is not present. For whatever reason they have not received much talent from God to execute the ministries they control.

In fact, our new pastor has done something very innovative (for this place) around here. Rather than let the clique dominate all the different devotions, he now relies on the music ministry to back him up. The results have been most pleasant. Strange how clique members do not attend the devotions as “civilians.”

 

[ASimpleSinner]

Yeah, it kinda of does–being a priest means devoting your entire life to God & we are talking about Lent here. He can’t go six Fridays without seeing a movie or eating out?

All things being equal, there is no good reason for any party here to get their dander up over a hypothetical priest…

I used to be VERY critical of a lot of priests… And on paper I had the “right” to be annoyed… Some were way off the reservation. But every single second I spent complaining was a second I wasn’t praying for them. That is a double-whammy: a sin of ommission and a sin of commision. I was pilin’ 'em on!

I can think of about a dozen reasons why a priest couldn’t do this, from exhaustion, to personal illness, annointing of the sick, pre-exisitng chaplaincy duties, early-morning duties the next day, commitments to other jobs he may have (teaching, counseling), RCIA instruction…

But again, it accomplishes nothing if we strain our charity talking about what could, should or would be done over a hypothetical priest in a hypothetical situation.

Plus it’s lent.

 

[chewchoo]

Oh, I know not all priests are good speakers. And while I certainly hope it’s not the same at all parishes, there is most certainly a lay liturgical clique that dominates such events around here when the pastor is not present. For whatever reason they have not received much talent from God to execute the ministries they control.

In fact, our new pastor has done something very innovative (for this place) around here. Rather than let the clique dominate all the different devotions, he now relies on the music ministry to back him up. The results have been most pleasant. Strange how clique members do not attend the devotions as “civilians.”

yes, we have the same lay clique but on the other hand, while they may be “in charge” they are always there. we wouldn’t have stations and adoration at my parish if it wasn’t for them.

 

[ASimpleSinner]

yes, we have the same lay clique but on the other hand, while they may be “in charge” they are always there. we wouldn’t have stations and adoration at my parish if it wasn’t for them.

You demonstrate a good deal of wisdom and charity in that response.

Thank you.

 

[WavyGravy]

yes, we have the same lay clique but on the other hand, while they may be “in charge” they are always there. we wouldn’t have stations and adoration at my parish if it wasn’t for them.

I don’t know about that. A few years ago when we had a different pastor who was not really involved in the life of the parish, our Bible study group offered to lead one or more Friday’s worth of stations. The clique fought like crazy to prevent it. We did end-up leading two Fridays worth, but they were very careful to control their turf, to the detriment of the parish.

 

[agapewolf]

Originally Posted by PaixGioiaAmor
*Signing on does NOT mean, however, that you are expected to work 12 hour days with no rest and no chance to go to dinner with friends, see a movie, or do any other things that most normal human beings do. *

response by turtle18
Yeah, it kinda of does–being a priest means devoting your entire life to God & we are talking about Lent here. He can’t go six Fridays without seeing a movie or eating out?

For those here who think priests should work 12 hour days, I dare you to follow the priests schedule for 1 month. You all have absolutely no idea what it takes if you are making statements like that.

I am a healthy 33 year old single female and I work full time as a music director at a church. Each week, for 2 days clustered together, I have a morning 8 am mass, some classes in the afternoon, and a meeting that lasts till 9:30 PM at night, just to get up and do it again the next day. Only 2 days a week. That is exhausting! Priests do that same schedule, with additional meetings, emotionally draining counseling sessions, study, prayer, and crisis management, or worse EVERY DAY! sometimes have 6:30 AM masses and go even later, and they do this 6-7 days a week! They are ordained with special graces (my belief is that one of them is to need less sleep), but they are human and need rest and recreation.

God bless our priests.

 

[Lovemyfaith]

Let’s see - in many places, there is an early mass on Friday mornings with the school kids. More than likely, he has meetings and hospital visits and the like the rest of the day. Perhaps he goes into the school for visits as well. Then of course, the next day there may be a funeral in the morning, confessions, and a vigil mass at night … Forgive the man if on Friday night, after working all day and knowing he will be working the next day he gives away a non Eucharistic service that the Church says may be led by a lay person to a lay person to lead.

In my parish, three priests, during Lent: three daily Masses, once in awhile a funeral, and no Baptisms. As far as visiting the homebound- nope, Ordinary Ministers here do that. No hospitals under the jurisdiction of this parish, so only hospital visits when a parishioner needs last rites. Never see any of them in the school. Confessions during Lent on Wednesday evening, just before the Vigil on Saturday and Saturday morning. RCIA is run by a lovely married couple, no pre canna here, couples are sent to a neighboring parish. There is a funeral committee who meets with families. The priests have a cook, maid and laundress.
On this topic I would have to say it is Lent, I make time to go to stations, maybe the priest can too.

 

[WavyGravy]

Originally Posted by PaixGioiaAmor
*Signing on does NOT mean, however, that you are expected to work 12 hour days with no rest and no chance to go to dinner with friends, see a movie, or do any other things that most normal human beings do. *

response by turtle18
Yeah, it kinda of does–being a priest means devoting your entire life to God & we are talking about Lent here. He can’t go six Fridays without seeing a movie or eating out?

For those here who think priests should work 12 hour days, I dare you to follow the priests schedule for 1 month. You all have absolutely no idea what it takes if you are making statements like that.

I am a healthy 33 year old single female and I work full time as a music director at a church. Each week, for 2 days clustered together, I have a morning 8 am mass, some classes in the afternoon, and a meeting that lasts till 9:30 PM at night, just to get up and do it again the next day. Only 2 days a week. That is exhausting! Priests do that same schedule, with additional meetings, emotionally draining counseling sessions, study, prayer, and crisis management, or worse EVERY DAY! sometimes have 6:30 AM masses and go even later, and they do this 6-7 days a week! They are ordained with special graces (my belief is that one of them is to need less sleep), but they are human and need rest and recreation.

God bless our priests.

Amen.

That’s why I think all-heck really does break loose when a pastor comes along who treats being a priest as a full or part-time “job.”