Way of the Cross - Via Crucis

Available in English and Spanish.

In the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II directed an annual public prayer of the Stations of the Cross at the Roman Colosseum on Good Friday. Originally, the Pope himself carried the cross from station to station, but in his last years when age and infirmity limited his strength, John Paul presided over the celebration from a stage on the Palatine Hill, while others carried the cross. Just days prior to his death in 2005, Pope John Paul II observed the Stations of the Cross from his private chapel in the Vatican. Each year a different person is invited to write the meditation texts for the Stations.

FEATURES:
• Languages English and Spanish.
• Choose from five Themes (different Pictures and Meditations)
- Vatican Via Crucis 2006
- Vatican Via Crucis 2008
- Vatican Via Crucis 2009
- Vatican Via Crucis 2010
- Vatican Via Crucis 2011
• Variable Text Size for easy reading.
• Big Pictures (double tap on pictures to enlarge).

Stations of the Cross (or Way of the Cross; in Latin, Via Crucis; also called the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrows, or simply, The Way) refers to the depiction of the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St. Francis of Assisi and extended throughout the Roman Catholic Church in the medieval period.

It may be done at any time, but is most commonly done during the Season of Lent, especially on Good Friday and on Friday evenings during Lent.

PRAYERS and MEDITATIONS taken from the VATICAN web page www.vatican.va

Choose the "VIA CRUCIS 2006", "VIA CRUCIS 2008", "VIA CRUCIS 2009", "VIA CRUCIS 2010" or "VIA CRUCIS 2011".

The Stations are a series of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following scenes:
I - Jesus is condemned to death
II - Jesus is given his cross
III - Jesus falls the first time
IV - Jesus meets His Mother
V - Simon of Cyrene carries the cross
VI - Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
VII - Jesus falls the second time
VIII - Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem
IX - Jesus falls the third time
X - Jesus is stripped off His garments
XI - Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross
XII - Jesus dies on the cross
XIII - Jesus body is removed from the cross (Deposition or Lamentation)
IV - Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense.