Way of the Cross - Fridays, 6 PM during Lent

The Way of the Cross is celebrated at St. Landry Catholic Church on Fridays of Lent (except Good Friday) at 6:00 p.m. Following the Way of the Cross is a short period of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. We use for the Way of the Cross , the version composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori.

Background of Way of the Cross: It is called Via Crucis (or Via Dolorosa) in Latin. In the early centuries the common starting point was the Antonia Fortress and the Praetorium near the northwest corner of the second Temple. Through the decades various routes led to Golgotha, the place of the Skull. Eventually a traditional path developed, although it is not until the middle of the fifteenth century into the writings of an English pilgrim, William Wey, that there is a description that somewhat matches what could be described as the traditional Way of the Cross today. In Jerusalem, only nine of the typical Stations exist on the way. The others are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Over the years various meditations have been written for the Via Crucis, one of the more popular classic ones by St. Alphonsus Liguori. In recent years Pope John-Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have sought to focus more on the scriptural roots of the events of Christ’s final hours. Consequently, a new ordering of the Via Crucis with newly written meditations is celebrated in Rome at the Coliseum each Good Friday. We can download those meditations at: http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/documents/index_via-crucis_en.html.