Each Friday during Lent — March 3, 8, 16, and 23 — Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, is conducting a Stations of the Cross beginning at 7:30 a.m. at San Fernando Cathedral at 119 Main Plaza.
Weekly themes are:
• Prayer/Consolation — words of tenderness and healing
• Almsgiving/Generosity — supporting families and workers
• Fasting/Weakening Violence — experience what the destitute have to endure
• Hope/New Fire — renewed life and hope
The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ’s last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of his last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini-pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ’s last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete.
The Stations of the Cross are commonly found in churches as a series of 14 small icons or images. They can also appear in churchyards arranged along paths. The stations are most commonly prayed during Lent on Wednesdays and Fridays, and especially on Good Friday, the day of the year upon which the events actually occurred.
“Grant that through the intercession of Our Lady of Solitude, we may always remember Jesus’ Passion, death, and resurrection,” Archbishop Gustavo prays at the closing prayer. “We want to be true missionary disciples of Jesus crucified under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.