It started centuries ago with pilgrims to the Holy Land. These were people who visited Jerusalem and retraced the last steps of Jesus as he went to the cross.
Today, Catholics throughout the world pray the 14 stations to reflect on the passion of Christ as well as increase their resolve to follow him.
In the Diocese of Raleigh, faithful gathered March 30 – Good Friday – to participate in Stations of the Cross. At Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, the mother church for the diocese, living stations were celebrated outdoors in Spanish at 9:30 in the morning as light rain fell. And stations were observed inside the cathedral at noon.
Hundreds attended each somber event and prayed the words together.
“It’s like taking a walk with a loved one,” Deacon Chris Koehn explained. “If you walk across the room, that’s one kind of experience. But if you walk to the lake, that’s another experience. You have more time together with someone you love and want to be with. Christ … we want to be with him.”
Learn more about the Stations of the Cross.