There is an old legend that says, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, his mother Mary would often walk the way her son had walked on his journey to the cross, pausing here and there to recall something that had happened at that spot. From these walks grew the early Christian practice of walking the Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross, in Jerusalem, a tradition that continues to this day.
When they returned home, those early pilgrims to Jerusalem talked about their experiences, and soon many people began erecting “stations” of the cross on the walls and grounds of their own churches so worshipers could make the journey whenever they wished. The number of stations ranged from as few as seven to as many as thirty. Over time however, the number became fixed at fourteen.
Catholic and Orthodox Christians were the first ones to use the stations in their devotional life. In recent years however, Christians of many traditions have been re-discovering this ancient devotional practice.
Thank You
To Kyle Folger and Jeff Boze for creating the Virtual Stations of the Cross, to Craig and Sarah Snead for the creation of the display platforms for the stations, and to artists from previous years whose work has been included for 2021.
