Through Lent we will walk and pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 7:00 pm at Memorial.
The spiritual devotion of the Stations of the Cross is a pilgrimage through time and space through which the pilgrims encounter Christ by experiencing the Passion of Jesus by following the path Jesus took from his condemnation by Pilate to the place where his body is laid in the tomb. This is the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrow or pain which leads one to Jesus' death on the cross to prepare pilgrims to embrace the joy of the Resurrection. There are fourteen historic stations, resting places along the way. Eight of these stations are based on Gospel passages the other six are based on traditional extra-Biblical events associated with the final day of Jesus' life. An example of the former “Simon of Cyrene is Compelled to Carry the Cross” and the latter “Veronica Wipes Jesus' Face.”
The Stations of the Cross used at Memorial were originally created by members of the congregation, including: Dale Balfour, Jeanine Baker, Joshua Batten, Anne Clewell, David Clewell, John Clewell, Judith Paris, and Paul Seaton, participating in a workshop lead by John Seeley in April 2000. These Stations of the Cross attempted to present the imagery of the events along the Via Dolorosa in a manner which would make them relevant in contemporary society, by using modern images and objects which in themselves are charged with meaning to enhance the immediacy of the experience of following the path. They sought to expand the pilgrimage by including imagery relating to the span of Jesus' ministry to show that Jesus' ministry was leading him on his way to the cross.