The Way of the Cross

Father Joseph Kentenich

Founder of the Schoenstatt Movement
 Introductory Prayer

Leader:
Loving and Merciful Father,
give us the grace
to walk beside the Saviour of the world,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
together with his Mother Mary
on this Way of the Cross.

May we see in His struggle of life and death

the invisible powers and influences behind all world events.
Help us to reach out to Him with our weak hands
and renew today our commitment to be His disciples.

On this Way of the Cross,

we renew our decision for Christ
now and forever. Amen.

All: May we embrace the Cross with him,

and pray that God’s will
may always be done in our lives.
Help us to look deeply
into our Saviour’s heart,
and in the midst of a world
full of hate and sorrow,
let us stand at his side
with the warmth of Mary’s love. Amen.
 FIRST STATION
Jesus is condemned to death

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
It seems that evil has won the day, when Jesus is condemned to death.
He is the One who is truth, justice, love and life,
but he silently accepts, with complete freedom,
this death sentence as the Father’s will.
He stands before his executioners so entirely free of self,
so that the Father’s will alone may be fulfilled in him.

Reader 2:
Together with our Blessed Mother Mary,
who bears this suffering with you,
let us renounce all self-will once and for all.
May we be willing to give up everything,
even honour and justice for our Saviour.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 SECOND STATION
Jesus is made to carry His Cross

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
The Lord will soon walk the Passion of the Cross.
We see Him longingly embracing the wood of the Cross
which proclaims nothing but love and Divine Mercy.
The Cross now becomes for us the way of salvation.

Reader 2:
May we always joyfully carry that splinter of the Cross
which the Father sends us through the experiences of life.
And may we always give the Father childlike praise.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 THIRD STATION
Jesus falls for the first time under the Cross

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
The bitter burden of our sins weighs heavily upon Jesus,
and he collapses because of the executioners’ haste.
Yet the mission of redemption gives him new strength.
Christ’s love for us compels Him to brave the darkness again.

Reader 2:
When guilt and failure and the burden of being a disciple
weigh us down,
then may we faithfully follow in the Lord’s footsteps,
as a beacon of hope for the world.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 FOURTH STATION
Jesus meets his Sorrowful Mother

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
Mary is the Companion of Christ for the salvation of souls.
She could not fail to be present on this difficult way of the Cross.
The Father placed her at the side of Jesus
just as he once joined Eve to Adam.
An ocean of sorrow wells up in both hearts,
but nothing can reverse their decision
to resolutely accept the Father’s will
and go the way of suffering together.

Reader 2:
Through the Father’s love and mercy,
he gave humanity’s most noble rose as the Mother of the Church.
Let us love and cherish her in the sanctuary of our hearts
and courageously carry her into the world.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 FIFTH STATION
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His Cross

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
It is the Father’s will that Christ does not carry
the heavy beams of the Cross alone.
He sends Simon of Cyrene
who brings relief, encouragement and rest.

Reader 2:
We thank God, the Father, that we may daily offer our shoulders
to carry the Cross which bears all life.
In this way we are conformed to the image of Jesus,
And like Him, we may always fulfil the Father’s wish.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 SIXTH STATION
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
Veronica, free of fear and apprehension,
breaks through the ranks of the executioners.
Out of the compassion of her heart, she calmly brings
Jesus a cloth to wipe his face.
He was so deeply grateful for this act of love
that He left his features upon the cloth
and returned it to Veronica.

Reader 2:
We give thanks for all the modern-day “Veronicas”
who selflessly serve others in every part of the Church.
We pray that they may never die out
and that they are always assured of our gratitude and appreciation.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 SEVENTH STATION
Jesus falls for the second time under the Cross

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
The wood of the Cross is extremely heavy
and causes Jesus to fall for the second time.
Neither the powerful of this world nor the crowds
will ever admit that Christ alone must be the Lord of the world.

Reader 2:
We pray Lord, that you do not allow your Cross to fall
but lift it up again and let it shine from heaven.
We want to carry it with you into our world
until every nation worships God once more.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 EIGHTH STATION
Jesus meets the weeping women

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
The eyes of the women of Jerusalem are so blinded
that they fail to find true faith.
They only see a frail and staggering man.
They don’t yet see God in Jesus, who sustains all life and existence.

Reader 2:
We offer, as God’s People, the Blood of Christ to the Father,
so that He may accept our daily sacrifices and atonement,
and pour out on us his love and mercy.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 NINTH STATION
Jesus falls for the third time under the Cross

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1
Again Jesus is so hard pressed by bitter agony
that He falls a third time under the weight of the Cross.
It is our sins that have caused this even though he
loves and cares for each one of us without exception.

Reader 2:
Often the secret reservations
which nest in the hidden corners of our own hearts
are to blame that our efforts and plans
lack the fruitfulness that God desires.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 TENTH STATION
Jesus is stripped of his garments

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
The Lord is so sheltered in the Father’s heart
that He endures this brutal stripping with serenity.
He winces at every blow that they inflict on Him but still remains silent
because it is the heavenly Father’s will.

Reader 2:
May we always find our shelter in the heart of the Father
and give up the false security of worldly things.
With undivided hearts, may we turn homeward to heaven
where we will look upon Christ and his Mother for eternity.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus is nailed to the Cross

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
Jesus willingly extends His arms
and abandons Himself entirely to the work of the executioners.
The cruel nails pierce his hands and his feet;
but He accepts them as the Father’s sign of love.

Reader 2:
We pray that we may always make the free decision
to let our love be inspired by obedience alone.
Then the Father’s eternal plan of love
can truly be fulfilled in our lives.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 TWELFTH STATION
Jesus dies on the Cross

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
Jesus now hangs between heaven and earth
so that there may be a new creation of love.
He gives Himself completely, without reservation,
because His love for us is so vast and deep.

Reader 2:
Every time we look upon the Cross
may it give us the strength never to trust in money or possessions
so that we can give ourselves with heart and mind,
completely and unreservedly to Christ.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 THIRTEENTH STATION
Jesus is placed in the arms of his Mother Mary

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
After defeating death and the snares of Satan
Jesus lies in the loving arms of His Mother.
He is so deeply and tenderly united to her
that the Father’s plan is clearly revealed.

Reader 2:
We pray that we may always remain faithful servants of this Mother,
deeply inscribing her name into our hearts.
In this way, may the sorrows that afflict the world today
be healed by the resounding hymn of redemption.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus is placed in the tomb

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you!

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

Reader 1:
The stone on the tomb of Jesus will hide Him for only a short time;
because then he will rise victoriously from the dead.
He will ascend as victor from the grave
and open for us the gates of Paradise.

Reader 2:
May we always believe even in times of difficulty and suffering
that nothing can rob Christ of the crown of victory.
Let us offer ourselves again as His disciples
and welcome many into the Family of the Church.

All: Lord, may we become more and more your faithful disciples
and build Your kingdom here on earth,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, together with Mary, our Mother,
who will crush the head of the serpent. Amen.
 Concluding Prayer
All: O Holy Cross, we bow before you
and praise you with hymns of thanks and jubilation:
Our Lord completed the work of salvation
on the wood of the Cross.
and made us truly children of God.

O Holy Cross, we want to place you deeply in our hearts

and constantly give you all our love.
Our life’s hope is only found in You, our crucified Lord,
and in Your Blessed Mother, who stands at Your side.

Let us proclaim you both to those around us,

accepting the challenges of life for you each day.
Then your kingdom will be victorious everywhere
and extend its boundaries to the ends of the earth.

May we present the Holy Cross and the image of Mary

as the sign of redemption for the world,
so that the two who stand united in the Father’s plan of love
may never be divided.

May we always be your faithful disciples

inscribing your names into every human heart,
so that Satan’s realm may truly be destroyed
and in the Holy Spirit
the Eternal Father be forever glorified. Amen.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be to the Father…

Final Blessing
Leader: By the merits of the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ, may Almighty God, in His infinite love and mercy, bless us and
protect us always. Amen.
 Hymn
(A Verse can be sung after each Station of the Cross)

1 At the cross her station keeping,

Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

2 Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,

All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword has passed.

3 Oh, how sad and sore distressed

Was that Mother highly blest
Of the sole begotten One!

4 Christ above in torment hangs;

She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.

5 Is there one who would not weep,

'Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?

6 Can the human heart refrain

From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother's pain untold?

7 Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,

She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.

8 For the sins of his own nation,

Saw him hang in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent.

9 O sweet Mother! fount of love,

Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.
 10 Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.

11 Holy Mother, pierce me through,

In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

12 Let me share with you his pain,

Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.

13 Let me mingle tears with thee,

Mourning him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live:

14 By the cross with you to stay,

There with you to weep and pray,
This I ask of you to give.

Father Joseph Kentenich

1885-1968
 The Way of the Cross is based on the original prayers
from “Heavenwards” written in the Concentration Camp of Dachau.
For use in St Bride’s Parish, West Kilbride
and St Peter in Chains Parish, Ardrossan.