TEXARKANA, Texas - More than 100 people attended a Stations of the Cross service at Sisters' Park on the CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System campus Friday.
"We invited people of all faiths to join us for this special event as a meaningful way of observing Good Friday," said the Rev. Lawrence X. Chellaian, St. Michael's vice president of mission integration.
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers, according to Lawrence. The stations grew out of imitations of Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem believed to be the actual path Jesus walked to Mount Calvary.
"The objective of the stations is to help the Christian faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ," Lawrence explained.
The devotional exercise of visiting and praying in front of each of the 14 stations and meditating on the Passion of Christ stems from the practice of early Christian pilgrims who visited the scenes of the events in Jerusalem and walked the traditional route from the supposed location of Pilate's house to Calvary.
Prayerful meditation through the Stations of the Cross is especially common during Lent and on Fridays throughout the year in commemoration of Christ's crucifixion on Good Friday.