As mentioned in my Fatima Pilgrimage post, the night of our visit we got the inspiration to pray the Stations of the Cross which grace Fatima’s Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. It was quite memorable to recall and reflect upon the Passion of Christ in such a setting. We wanted to share the prayers of this devotion along with photographs we took. This can be a mini-pilgrimage in and of itself.
What are the Stations of the Cross?
The Stations of the Cross are known as the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, and also as the Via Crucis, the Way of the Cross. The Atonement Friars have an excellent explanation of the Stations on their site, www.atonementfriars.org:
“The Stations of the Cross depict 14 events in the Passion of Jesus Christ, beginning with Jesus being condemned to death and ending with His body being laid in a tomb. The pious practice of praying the Stations of the Cross originated in medieval Europe when pilgrims were unable to visit the Holy Land, so instead “visited” these Holy places through prayer.
St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan order, authored Stations of the Cross that popularized the devotion throughout the world. Today, you’ll find Stations of the Cross in almost every Catholic Church, particularly prayed on Lenten Fridays, but available throughout the year for meditation and reflection.”
You stop to pray at each “station” much like you would if you followed Jesus’ journey at the actual Holy Land sites. The Stations are found on a church’s walls, in its garden, and often in both places.
They may be as large as life-size, but are often portrait-size. Stations of the Cross vary greatly in the media used to create them — from three dimensional sculptures to metal renderings to paintings to simple plaques. As well, they can be gorgeous meticulously-detailed images or more modern vague interpretations. The ones at Fatima are ceramic mosaics and are softly lighted. I hope you enjoy them and the prayers.
How to Pray the Stations of the Cross
There are a great many versions of the Stations prayers that have come to us since the 12th century. These below were written by St. Alphonsus Liguori, a bishop and Doctor of the Church, over 250 years ago. They align with the traditional Stations and begin with the condemnation of Jesus by Pontius Pilate. (There are also slightly different Stations that begin in the Garden of Gethsemane which you can find here.) When done on Lenten Fridays at a church, a priest, deacon or layperson (represented by “V” below) leads the prayers of those present (“R”) and proceeds throughout the church, stopping before each station to kneel and pray. When praying the Stations alone (in a church, chapel, garden, at home, wherever you are inspired) you would simply recite all the prayers yourself.
Opening Prayer
(Kneel)
My Lord, Jesus Christ,
You have made this journey to die for me with unspeakable love;
and I have so many times ungratefully abandoned You. But now I love You with all my heart;
and, because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for ever having offended You.
Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of me;
I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You.
My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.
At the cross her station keeping
Stood the mournful Mother weeping
Close to Jesus to the last.
(these last three lines of this prayer and of each station are often sung to a mournful tune entitled Stabat Mater Dolorosa)
The First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider how Jesus Christ, after being scourged and crowned with thorns, was
unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the cross. (Kneel)
R: My adorable Jesus,
it was not Pilate;
no, it was my sins that condemned You to die.
I beseech You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey,
to assist my soul on its journey to eternity.
I love You, beloved Jesus;
I love You more than I love myself.
With all my heart I repent of ever having offended You.
Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing
All His bitter anguish bearing
Now at length the sword has passed.
The Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider Jesus as He walked this road with the cross on His shoulders, thinking of
us, and offering to His Father in our behalf, the death He was about to suffer. (Kneel)
R: My most beloved Jesus,
I embrace all the sufferings You have destined for me until death.
I beg You, by all You suffered in carrying Your cross,
to help me carry mine with Your perfect peace and resignation.
I love You, Jesus, my love;
I repent of ever having offended You.
Never let me separate myself from You again.
Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
O, how sad and sore depressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole Begotten One.
The Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider the first fall of Jesus. Loss of blood from the scourging and crowing with
thorns had so weakened Him that He could hardly walk; and yet He had to carry that
great load upon His shoulders. As the soldiers struck Him cruelly, He fell several times
under the heavy cross. (Kneel)
R: My beloved Jesus, / it was not the weight of the cross / but the weight of my sins
which made You suffer so much. / By the merits of this first fall, / save me from falling
into mortal sin. / I love You, O my Jesus, with all my heart; / I am sorry that I have
offended You. / May I never offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and
then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Christ above in torment hangs
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.
The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider how the Son met his Mother on His way to Calvary. Jesus and Mary gazed
at each other and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which
loved each other so tenderly (Kneel)
R: My most loving Jesus, / by the pain You suffered in this meeting / grant me the grace
of being truly devoted to Your most holy Mother. / And You, my Queen, who was
overwhelmed with sorrow, / obtain for me by Your prayers / a tender and a lasting
remembrance of the passion of Your divine Son. / I love You, Jesus, my Love, above all
things. / I repent of ever having offended You. / Never allow me to offend You again. /
Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Is there one who would not weep,
‘whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ’s dear Mother to behold.
The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider how weak and weary Jesus was. At each step He was at the point of
expiring. Fearing that He would die on the way when they wished Him to die the
infamous death of the cross, they forced Simon of Cyrene to help carry the cross after
Our Lord. (Kneel)
R: My beloved Jesus / I will not refuse the cross as Simon did: / I accept it and embrace
it. / I accept in particular the death that is destined for me / with all the pains that may
accompany it. / I unite it to Your death / and I offer it to You. / You have died for love of
me; / I will die for love of You and to please You. / Help me by Your grace. / I love You, Jesus, my Love; / I repent of ever having offended You. / Never let me offend You
again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain
In that Mother’s pain untold?
The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider the compassion of the holy woman, Veronica. Seeing Jesus in such
distress, His face bathed in sweat and blood, she presented Him with her veil. Jesus
wiped His face, and left upon the cloth the image of his sacred countenance. (Kneel)
R: My beloved Jesus, / Your face was beautiful before You began this journey; / but,
now, it no longer appears beautiful / and is disfigured with wounds and blood. / Alas, my
soul also was once beautiful / when it received Your grace in Baptism; / but I have since
disfigured it with my sins. / You alone, my Redeemer, can restore it to its former beauty.
/ Do this by the merits of Your passion; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled
She beheld her tender Child
All with bloody scourges rent.
The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider how the second fall of Jesus under His cross renews the pain in all the
wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord. (Kneel)
R: My most gentle Jesus, / how many times You have forgiven me; / and how many
times I have fallen again and begun again to offend You! / By the merits of this second fall, / give me the grace to persevere in Your love until death. / Grant, that in all my
temptations, I may always have recourse to You. / I love You, Jesus, my Love with all
my heart; / I am sorry that I have offended You. / Never let me offend You again. / Grant
that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.
The Eighth Station: Jesus Consoles the Women of Jerusalem
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider how the women wept with compassion seeing Jesus so distressed and
dripping with blood as he walked along. Jesus said to them, “Weep not so much for
me, but rather for Your children.” (Kneel)
R: My Jesus, laden with sorrows, / I weep for the sins which I have committed against
You / because of the punishment I deserve for them; / and, still more, because of the
displeasure they have caused You / who have loved me with an infinite love. / It is Your
love, more than the fear of hell, / which makes me weep for my sins. / My Jesus, I love
You more than myself; / I am sorry that I have offended You. / Never allow me to offend
You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
O sweet Mother! Fount of Love,
Touch my spirit from above
Make my heart with yours accord.
The Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise) V: Consider how Jesus Christ fell for the third time. He was extremely weak and the
cruelty of His executioners was excessive; they tried to hasten His steps though He
hardly had strength to move. (Kneel)
R: My outraged Jesus, / by the weakness You suffered in going to Calvary, / give me
enough strength to overcome all human respect / and all my evil passions which have
led me to despise Your friendship. / I love You, Jesus my Love, with all my heart; / I am
sorry for ever having offended You. / Never permit me to offend You again. / Grant that I
may love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Make me feel as You have felt
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.
The Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider how Jesus was violently stripped of His clothes by His executioners. The
inner garments adhered to his lacerated flesh and the soldiers tore them off so roughly
that the skin came with them. Have pity for your Savior so cruelly treated and tell Him:
(Kneel)
R: My innocent Jesus, / by the torment You suffered in being stripped of Your garments,
/ help me to strip myself of all attachment for the things of earth / that I may place all my
love in You who are so worthy of my love. / I love You, O Jesus, with all my heart; / I am
sorry for ever having offended You. / Never let me offend You again. / Grant that I may
love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Holy Mother, pierce me through
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
The Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider Jesus, thrown down upon the cross, He stretched out His arms and offered
to His eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our salvation. They nailed His hands and
feet, and then, raising the cross, left Him to die in anguish. (Kneel)
R: My despised Jesus, / nail my heart to the cross / that it may always remain there to
love You and never leave You again. / I love You more than myself; / I am sorry for ever
having offended You. / Never permit me to offend You again. / Grant that I may love
You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Let me share with you His pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.
The Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider how Your Jesus, after three hours of agony on the cross, is finally
overwhelmed with suffering and, abandoning Himself to the weight of His body, bows
His head and dies. (Kneel)
R: My dying Jesus, / I devoutly kiss the cross on which You would die for love of me. / I
deserve, because of my sins, to die a terrible death; / but Your death is my hope. / By
the merits of Your death, / give me the grace to die embracing Your feet and burning
with love of You. / I yield my soul into Your hands. / I love You with my whole heart. / I
am sorry that I have offended You. / Never let me offend You again. / Grant that I may
love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Let me mingle tears with thee
Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.
The Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider how, after Our Lord had died, He was taken down from the cross by two of
His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, and placed in the arms of His afflicted Mother.
She received Him with unutterable tenderness and pressed Him close to her bosom.
(Kneel)
R: O Mother of Sorrows, / for the love of Your Son, / accept me as Your servant and
pray to Him for me, / And You, my Redeemer, since you have died for me, / allow me to
love You, / for I desire only You and nothing more. / I love You, Jesus my Love, / and I
am sorry that I have offended You. / Never let me offend You again. / Grant that I may
love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
By the cross with you to stay
There with you to weep and pray
Is all I ask of you to give.
The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)
V: Consider how the disciples carried the body of Jesus to its burial, while His holy
Mother went with them and arranged it in the sepulcher with her own hands. They then
closed the tomb and all departed. (Kneel)
R: Oh, my buried Jesus, / I kiss the stone that closes You in. / But You gloriously did
rise again on the third day. / I beg You by Your resurrection that I may be raised
gloriously on the last day, / to be united with You in heaven, to praise You and love You
forever. / I love You, Jesus, and I repent of ever having offended You. / Grant that I may
love You always; and then do with me as You will.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)
Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.
Closing Prayer to Jesus Christ Crucified
My good and dear Jesus,
I kneel before You,
asking You most earnestly
to engrave upon my heart
a deep and lively faith, hope, and charity,
with true repentance for my sins,
and a firm resolve to make amends.
As I reflect upon Your five wounds,
and dwell upon them
with deep compassion and grief,
I recall, good Jesus,
the words the Prophet David spoke
long ago concerning Yourself:
“They pierced My hands and My feet;
they have numbered all My bones.”
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