The Way of the Cross

Preface by Timothy Combs, O.P., reflections by Donald Goergen, O.P., Michail Ford, O.P., Vincent Davila, O.P., Nicholas Monco, O.P., Andrew-Carl Wisdom, O.P., Dominic McManus, O.P., Joachim Culotta, O.P., Simon-Felix Michalski, O.P., Joseph Trout, O.P., Paul Byrd, O.P., Dominic Holtz, O.P., Patrick Baikauskas, O.P., James Peter Trares, O.P., Benjamin Russell, O.P.Paintings by Kaite SchmidFrom the preface: From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have repeated the account of Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection. Many desired to see first-hand the sites in Jerusalem where Jesus spent the last hours before his crucifixion. Such a pilgrimage on "the Way of the Cross" (in Latin, the Via Crucis ) made the familiar stories more tangible and personal. As Christianity spread further throughout the world, many were unable to visit the holy sites, yet the desire to somehow replicate this devotional experience continued. This gave rise to what are commonly known as the Stations of the Cross, a series of 14 images representing key moments in Christ's Passion. Promoted especially by the Francisans, since the medieval period it has become common in Catholic churches throughout the world to include a series of these stations on the walls of the church. As a popular devotion, communal meditation on the Way of the Cross is most common during the season of Lent, especially on Fridays, the day of the Lord's passion and death.