The Stations of the Cross

The Stations [of the Cross] originated in medieval Europe when wars prevented Christian pilgrims from visiting the Holy Land. European artists created works depicting scenes of Christ's journey to Calvary. The faithful installed these sculptures or paintings at intervals along a procession route, inside the parish church or outdoors. Performing the devotion meant walking the entire route, stopping to pray at each "station."
Today, images of the Stations (or simple crosses representing them) are on display in almost all Catholic churches. They serve mainly as a focus for Lenten worship services. But the Stations can also be performed privately, at any time of the year, even at home. Many organizations offer free or inexpensive, illustrated pamphlets for this purpose.

(E. M Mulhare About The Stations of the Cross)

John Henry Newman's Stations of the Cross

John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890) was an Anglican churchman whose conversion to the Catholic Church in 1845 caused the kind of controversy seen only in political circles today; and, indeed, his conversion was a scandal, for in Newman's day, the Catholic Church was still regarded with great hostility and suspicion by the English as a result of the Reformation. Newman himself was a man of towering intellect and with great literary skills. But he was also a priest of the humblest and most loving kind. After his conversion, he founded a house of the Oratory in Birmingham. There, he tended to the needs of souls even at the most difficult times; for example, when people were fleeing the city after an outbreak of cholera, Newman stayed behind to minister to the needs of those who remained. Newman's faith in Jesus Christ was first recognised by Pope Leo XIII who, in 1879, made him a cardinal. In 1958, Archbishop Francis Grimshaw of Birmingham opened the cause for Newman's canonisation. On 22nd January 1991, Newman was declared Venerable. Please pray for his canonisation! 

In 1860, Newman wrote his own meditations on the Stations of the Cross. It is these that are given on this web site. I hope very much that they are of benefit to you. To begin the Stations, click here.

For the Printable Stations of the Cross, click here

Acknowledgements

Thanks are given to the Ignatius Press for kindly allowing Newman's Stations from the book Prayers, Verses and Devotions to be published here. This compendium, which you may purchase here, is most highly recommended!

Thanks are also given to the Birmingham Oratory for kindly allowing the use of the above image of Newman and his coat of arms on this page and at the beginning of the stations. If you would like to learn more about Newman, visit the Oratory's web site here.

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