Dear Friends

I hope you will have noticed in our weekly publicity that there will be a ‘Stations of the Cross’ service on Sunday evenings at 6pm during Lent. Someone asked me about this service the other day so I thought I would include an explanation this week.

Stations of the Cross is a meditation which commemorates the key events on the day of Christ’s crucifixion. The Stations originated in medieval Europe at a time when wars prevented Christian pilgrims from visiting the Holy Land. European artists created works depicting scenes of Christ’s journey to Calvary and these were usually installed along a processional route, either in the church or outside, so that the faithful could walk the route following the images. By taking part in this meditation we walk with Christ, as he makes his way to Calvary and to death on the cross, and we reflect upon the meaning of the cross both in the world and in our own lives.

Every year the Stations of the Cross remain the same, but we will have changed, and the world is a different place. Depending on the year’s events, each station will hold a different meaning for us and we can use this as an opportunity to give thanks, to pray for the year ahead and to resolve to change those things which separate us from the love of God.

The ritual liturgy, meditations and hymns that we will be using as we walk the Way of the Cross will help us to think about Jesus’ Passion, and the part we play in it. They are also intended to bring comfort and encouragement amidst the confusion and pain surrounding Jesus’ death. We need that comfort and encouragement, because as we re-live Our Lord’s Passion we are reminded of the pain and confusion that are prevalent in so many lives and in the world we live in today.

I do encourage you to join us on a Sunday evening.

With every blessing

Mother Eileen