Stations of the Cross close 40 Days for Life

Today at noon Stations of the Cross were prayed outside the abortion site in Bellevue. Led by Deacon Gary Bash, the prayer finished the spring campaign of prayer and witness against abortion.

2016 Stations of the Cross

Each year the 8th graders at St. Columbkille Catholic School lead the other students in Living Stations of the Cross. It is a way the school prays together before the Easter Break.

Embracing the Cross

Even as a lifelong Catholic, I've had trouble grasping the concept of "offering up" my pains and sorrows.

It's hard to offer up sufferings, even annoyances, when you're in the throes of them. Pain and irritability can be overwhelming and consuming, and it can be difficult to reason in such a state. During those times, I have to just skip logic and go straight to faith, trusting that God is in control and somehow can use my pain, as much as I dislike it, to help others.

For me, the Catholic understanding of suffering -- and the offering of my personal pains --  is best established ahead of time, when I'm not suffering. By praying a morning offering, I've already given God whatever I will face that day. And during Lent particularly, praying the Stations of the Cross has helped me understand why Jesus had to suffer -- and why we have to.

The late Caryll Houselander, a Catholic artist and writer, teaches us in her version of the Stations, "The Way of the Cross," that when Jesus receives His cross, we, too, are invited to accept it.

"For Christ receives our cross that we may receive His.

"Receiving this cross, the cross of the whole world made His, we receive Him. He gives us His hands to take hold of, His power to make it a redeeming thing, a blessed thing, His life to cause it to flower, His heart to enable us to rejoice in accepting our own and one another's burdens."

Houselander prays: "Let me realize that because You have made my suffering Yours and given it the power of Your love, it can reach everyone, everywhere -- those in my own home, those who seem to be out of my reach -- it can reach them all with Your healing and Your love.

"Let me always remember that those sufferings known only to myself, which seem to be without purpose and without meaning, are part of Your plan to redeem the world."

Teach us, O Lord, to embrace You and Your cross.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

Soup & Stations & Stations & Stations

 Monday and Wednesday was Soup and Stations

 for our families in Religious Formation.

 Families first gathered to together for a meal ...

... then they moved upstairs to pray 

the Stations of the Cross together.

 But they aren't the only groups 

to be praying with the stations.

 Tuesday night those in RCIA 

prayed the Stations together.

Fr. Vogel has been leading school groups in them as well.

Tonight at 6 p.m. we will have 

Stations of the Cross in the church.

But feel free to just stop by sometime

 and pray -- just you and the Stations.

Our Stations of the Cross

 When our second church was built in 1923, the parish

 purchased 14 Stations of the Cross to display.

These same stations were moved to our third church.

Our new Stations of the Cross booklets were made to use pictures of our stations.

Look for the tonight and all Fridays of Lent as we have the Stations of the Cross in the church at 6 p.m.

Stations of the Cross with Easter Eggs

Last week the students at Sacred Heart Preschool visited the church ...

... to pray the Stations of the Cross.

Each student brought an Easter Egg.

At each station we opened one of the eggs ... 

... to learn a little more about that station.

Before we left, we took a moment to talk to God

 in our hearts and thank Jesus for dying for us.