The Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD), the Catholic aid agency for England and Wales, has prepared Stations of the Cross (free PDF download) which allow us to meditate on Jesus’s journey to the cross “while reflecting on the reality of the lives of our sisters and brothers in Zambia, for whom life is a daily struggle.

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of Blessed Pope Paul VI’s ground-breaking encyclical, Populorum Progressio, his letter on the development of peoples. Some of it is quoted in the Stations of the Cross to challenge us anew by its teaching which is as pertinent today as it was in 1967.”

From their Instructions:

• An accompanying PowerPoint (download here) is available to use alongside the PDF, although not essential.
• Each Station has two slides: the first is the Scripture text and the prayer, “We adore you O Christ…” The second shows an image to help reflect on what the leader reads aloud.
• Whether walking around the Stations of the Cross in a church, or sitting as a group, you may wish to have different people read the various texts.
• Between each Station, you may wish to sing a chant, such as Jesus remember me or Bless the Lord my soul from Taizé.

Also Available

The Stations of the Cross for Vincentians includes special prayers written by Lynn L’Heureux of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Canada.

The Stations of the Cross are for all of us. Each station, I believe, must be a reality in our lives, in our own individual journeys. The Stations reflect our service and our journey as Christians who love Christ and seek to serve Him in the poor. This is our mission as Vincentians. This is our mission as Catholics.”

– Lynn L’Heureux, SSVP Canada

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or, go to bitly.com/vstations.