How to pray the Stations and gain the indulgence
In church, the Stations are prayed before the fourteen stations on the walls of the nave. At each one the leader says the versicle “We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee”, and all answer, customarily kneeling or genuflecting. The meditation is read, the prayer said, and the group moves on to the next station singing a verse of the Stabat Mater. Someone praying alone does the same, silently or in a low voice.
The plenary indulgence
The Church’s Manual of Indulgences (Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, 4th edition, 1999, grant 13) grants a plenary indulgence to the faithful who devoutly make the Way of the Cross, and also to those who devoutly unite themselves to the Stations led by the Pope and broadcast on television or radio. It is one of the plenary indulgences that can be gained on any day of the year.
The Manual sets out these norms: the exercise is made before legitimately erected stations (fourteen crosses are required, to which pictures or images are usually added); one must move from one station to the next, but when the Stations are made in public and it is not practical for everyone to move, it is enough for the leader to go from station to station; and a devout meditation on the Passion and Death of the Lord is sufficient, without any need to consider each mystery of the stations. No particular vocal prayers are required: the text of St Alphonsus is an excellent guide, but it is not prescribed.
As with every plenary indulgence, the three usual conditions are also required, and they can be fulfilled several days before or after: sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the Pope’s intentions (one Our Father and one Hail Mary suffice). One must also be free of all attachment to any sin, even venial; without that full disposition the indulgence is partial. Only one plenary indulgence can be gained each day, and it can be applied to oneself or to someone who has died.
IFirst Station: Jesus is condemned to death
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the cross.
My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins, that condemned Thee to die. I beseech Thee, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity. I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Cuius animam gementem, contristatam et dolentem pertransivit gladius.
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.
IISecond Station: Jesus is made to bear His cross
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that Jesus, in making this journey with the cross on His shoulders, thought of us, and offered for us to His Father the death that He was about to undergo.
My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations that Thou hast destined for me until death. I beseech Thee, by the merits of the pain Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)O quam tristis et afflicta fuit illa benedicta Mater Unigeniti!
O how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother, highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One!
IIIThird Station: Jesus falls the first time under His cross
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider this first fall of Jesus under His cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that He could scarcely walk, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.
My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the cross, but of my sins which has made Thee suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love Thee, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Quae maerebat et dolebat, pia Mater, dum videbat nati poenas inclyti.
Christ above in torment hangs;
she beneath beholds the pangs
of her dying glorious Son.
IVFourth Station: Jesus meets His afflicted Mother
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.
My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow Thou didst experience in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Thy most holy Mother. And thou, my Queen, who wast overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by thy intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of thy Son. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee, and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Quis est homo qui non fleret, Matrem Christi si videret in tanto supplicio?
Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?
VFifth Station: The Cyrenian helps Jesus to carry His cross
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus, from weakness, was on the point of expiring, and fearing that He would die on the way, when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the cross behind our Lord.
My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the cross as the Cyrenian did; I accept it, I embrace it. I accept in particular the death that Thou hast destined for me, with all the pains which may accompany it; I unite it to Thy death, I offer it to Thee. Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of Thee, and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Quis non posset contristari, Christi Matrem contemplari dolentem cum Filio?
Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother's pain untold?
VISixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel, with which He wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His holy countenance.
My most beloved Jesus, Thy face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it. Alas! my soul also was once beautiful, when it received Thy grace in baptism; but I have disfigured it since by my sins; Thou alone, my Redeemer, canst restore it to its former beauty. Do this by Thy Passion, and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Pro peccatis suae gentis vidit Iesum in tormentis et flagellis subditum.
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
she beheld her tender Child
all with bloody scourges rent.
VIISeventh Station: Jesus falls the second time
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider the second fall of Jesus under the cross, a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
My most gentle Jesus, how many times Thou hast pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend Thee! Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary helps to persevere in Thy grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to Thee. I love Thee, Jesus, my love, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Vidit suum dulcem Natum moriendo desolatum, dum emisit spiritum.
For the sins of His own nation,
saw Him hang in desolation,
till His spirit forth He sent.
VIIIEighth Station: Jesus speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in so pitiable a state, streaming with blood, as He walked along. But Jesus said to them, “Weep not for Me, but for your children.”
My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offences that I have committed against Thee, because of the pains which they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure which they have caused Thee, who hast loved me so much. It is Thy love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love Thee more than myself; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Eia, Mater, fons amoris, me sentire vim doloris fac, ut tecum lugeam.
O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord.
IXNinth Station: Jesus falls the third time
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of His executioners excessive, who tried to hasten His steps when He had scarcely strength to move.
Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness that Thou didst suffer in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise Thy friendship. I love Thee, Jesus, my love, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Fac, ut ardeat cor meum in amando Christum Deum, ut sibi complaceam.
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ my Lord.
XTenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments adhered to His torn flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin came with them. Compassionate your Saviour thus cruelly treated, and say to Him:
My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment that Thou hast felt, help me to strip myself of all affection to things of earth, in order that I may place all my love in Thee, who art so worthy of my love. I love Thee, O Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Sancta Mater, istud agas, Crucifixi fige plagas cordi meo valide.
Holy Mother! pierce me through;
in my heart each wound renew
of my Saviour crucified.
XIEleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that Jesus, after being thrown on the cross, extended His hands, and offered to His Eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our salvation. These barbarians fastened Him with nails; and then, raising the cross, leave Him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet.
My Jesus, loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Thy feet, that it may ever remain there to love Thee, and never quit Thee again. I love Thee more than myself; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Tui Nati vulnerati, tam dignati pro me pati, poenas mecum divide.
Let me share with thee His pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.
XIITwelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that thy Jesus, after three hours' agony on the cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies.
O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the cross on which Thou didst die for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death; but Thy death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Thy death, give me grace to die, embracing Thy feet and burning with love to Thee. I commit my soul into Thy hands. I love Thee with my whole heart; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Permit not that I ever offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Fac me tecum pie flere, Crucifixo condolere, donec ego vixero.
Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live.
XIIIThirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that, our Lord having expired, two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took Him down from the cross, and placed Him in the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received Him with unutterable tenderness and pressed Him to her bosom.
O Mother of sorrow, for the love of this Son, accept me for thy servant, and pray to Him for me. And Thou, my Redeemer, since Thou hast died for me, permit me to love Thee; for I wish but Thee, and nothing more. I love Thee, my Jesus, and I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Iuxta crucem tecum stare, et me tibi sociare in planctu desidero.
By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
is all I ask of thee to give.
XIVFourteenth Station: Jesus is placed in the sepulchre
We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by His holy Mother, who arranged it in the sepulchre with her own hands. They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew.
Ah, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses Thee. But Thou didst rise again the third day. I beseech Thee, by Thy resurrection, make me rise glorious with Thee at the last day, to be always united with Thee in heaven, to praise Thee, and love Thee forever. I love Thee, and I repent of ever having offended Thee. Permit not that I ever offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
Hymn (Stabat Mater)Quando corpus morietur, fac, ut animae donetur paradisi gloria. Amen.
While my body here decays,
may my soul Thy goodness praise,
safe in Paradise with Thee. Amen.
Where the Stations of the Cross come from
From the early centuries, pilgrims to Jerusalem devoutly walked the places of the Lord’s Passion. In 1342 the Franciscans were entrusted with the custody of the Holy Places, and it was above all they who carried the custom to Europe, setting up stations in their churches so that the faithful could make the same pilgrimage in spirit. For a long time the number and subjects of the stations varied a good deal from place to place.
In 1731 Pope Clement XII allowed the indulgenced Stations in every church, provided they were erected by a Franciscan with the bishop’s sanction, and fixed their number at fourteen. In 1742 Benedict XIV urged all priests to enrich their churches with them. The great preacher of the devotion in those years was St Leonard of Port Maurice, a Franciscan friar who set up the Stations in hundreds of places across Italy; the most famous are those in the Colosseum in Rome, inaugurated on 27 December 1750, during the Holy Year, with the approval of Benedict XIV.
A few years later, in 1761, St Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists and later a Doctor of the Church, published his “Esercizio della Via Crucis”: a short, plain text written for ordinary people, which has been reprinted and translated ever since and is still the one most prayed in parishes in many countries.
On Good Friday 1991, St John Paul II introduced a Scriptural Way of the Cross, whose stations follow only episodes told in the Gospels. It does not replace the traditional form, which remains the best known.
