The Stations of the Cross (also known as the Way of the Cross) is a devotion that was started by St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). He created the Stations for Catholics who were unable to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land because it was too dangerous. St. Francis placed 14 Stations throughout the church. Each station represented an actual place that a person could stop, pray and contemplate Christ’s Passion in Jerusalem.
The tradition carries on today. Many Catholic Churches will have evening services during the Friday’s of Lent to pray the 14 Stations together. There are a variety of prayers and contemplations that can be used during these services. It has become a tradition for the Pope to write an original work for the Good Friday Stations of the Cross that is conducted at the Coliseum in Rome.
The Stations are:
1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus is given his cross
3. Jesus falls the first time
4. Jesus meets His Mother
5. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. Jesus falls the second time
8. Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem
9. Jesus falls the third time
10. Jesus is stripped of His garments
11. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus' body is removed from the cross (Deposition or Lamentation)
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense.