St. Mark's Episcopal To Hold Stations Of The Cross

From St. Mark Episcopal Church: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church will hold Stations of the Cross beginning Friday, March 8 at the church on Cain Road, off Gunn Highway, in the Citrus Park section of Tampa.

Named “The Way of the Cross,” the service will begin at 6:30 p.m. Fridays through Lent and will last about 30 minutes. There is no service on Good Friday.

“The season of Lent calls us into a deeper state of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Scripture tells us that proper preparation includes: charitable giving, prayer, as well as fasting (Mat 6:1-16). Taking on a spiritual discipline like observing The Way of the Cross is an excellent way to mark this Lenten season,” said The Rev. Robert C. Douglas, rector of St. Mark’s.

The traditional Lenten service includes a Crucifix-led procession to each of 14 stations of art mounted on the walls inside the church. The procession depicts the last day of the life of Jesus Christ on earth from condemnation to His death on the cross and entombment.

Attendees will have an opportunity to participate in the service each week by carrying the Crucifix, leading the opening and closing devotions and reading the prayers at each station as they walk the way of Jesus on that day.

The Lenten practice of visiting the scenes and praying began with 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 Calvery. Tradition holds that Mary, the mother of Jesus, set up stone markers at her home outside Jerusalem to prayerfully retrace the steps of the son’s Passion,” according to “Encyclopedia Britannica” as written by assistant editor Melissa Petruzzello.

Today the prayerful meditation is usually held on Fridays in Lent and is mostly practiced in the Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran traditions.

Images via St. Mark's Episcopal