Youths from St. Mary Parish in Fairfield perform the Sixth Station of the Cross March 1 in silhouette. Parishioners watch from the other side and see the silhouette image only.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
(This article is part of a series.)
FAIRFIELD — Stations of the Cross, also referred to as the Way of the Cross, or Via Delorosa (Sorrowful Way), is a popular devotion most often prayed during Lent. It calls to mind the Passion of Christ and his journey from being condemned to death to his crucifixion. Depictions of the drama lend themselves to creativity, a fact Diane Tone knows well.
The coordinator of youth ministry at St. Mary Parish in Fairfield says, “I love our Stations of the Cross in Silhouette! It is my favorite thing we do in youth group.”
She saw a presentation in silhouette and decided to bring it to Fairfield. It has been done at the parish since 2013.
“I used to purchase a CD from Cornerstone Media with the narration, reflections, and song,” said Tone. “They stopped providing this CD in 2021, so they shared the script with me. Now, our youth record the audio, select the music from their favorite songs, and provide the silhouette for each station. It is much more personalized this way.”
Her husband, Phil, built the “screen” out of PVC pipe with a white sheet in the center and a black sheet on each side to hide the actors.
The youths are very involved in the process, she noted. “We have a list going through the year where youth can write down their favorite songs. I screen the songs and put them with some of the appropriate stations. Then the youth vote for the songs we use.”
A Powerful History
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops note there are various ways to participate in Stations of the Cross. “The common thread is to open with prayer. At each station a reflection and prayer are offered.” According to OSV News, in 1731, Pope Clement XII established the numbers of stations at 14. And in 1991, Pope St. John Paul II introduced the Scriptural Stations, based on Scriptures.
In parishes, Stations of the Cross are offered in a variety of ways. At some parishes, Catholics will walk together from one station to the next. In other parishes, parishioners stay in the pews and a priest or deacon and servers move from one station to the next.
During the annual program at St. Mary-Fairfield, the youth narrator announces the station, followed by a reflection from a youth who portrays Jesus, and then a reflection from a teen — “all recorded by our youth. Then the backlight turns on and we see their silhouette while the song plays,” Tone said. “After Jesus is nailed to the cross, the light turns off and you hear the hammer pounding three times. It is powerful.”
Youths are a mix of middle school and high school students. “They always do a great job with this,” Tone said. “They handle the props and the light backstage. I am just there to oversee everything.”
Katelyn Adam has participated for seven years. “Every year I do this, I feel like it helps me grow in my faith.” Mason Adam, who has done this for five years, said, “The music is the best part.” And third year participant Vera Smith said, “You wouldn’t think a shadow could be so powerful.”
Youths Allie and Abbie Hammes made two-inch prayer quilts with a cross inside to give to those attending the March 1 stations in Fairfield.
Members of St. Anthony Parish in Davenport reenact the Stations of the Cross in downtown Davenport on Good Friday 2025.
Taking it to the Streets
At St. Anthony Parish in Davenport, parishioners have continued an outdoor, Good Friday Stations of the Cross tradition that was started at St. Mary Parish in 2000. The two parishes merged in 2020.
Rosario Castel has been involved with the stations since its start. Weather has never stopped the outdoor procession. Volunteers have endured sun, wind, rain, sleet and snow over the years. She noted that when the parish actors “crucify” Jesus, “the sun always comes out.
When the parishes merged, she was thankful that their new home community “opened their heart to continue this special tradition.”
When located at St. Mary’s, the Stations of the Cross procession walked through the residential neighborhood with various stations set up in yards. The stations ended at St. Mary Church. When the parishes merged, the procession moved into downtown Davenport, with much more visibility by the community.
“It is amazing for Holy Week. We see people thinking about God because of them. God working around the streets. People walk by and see Stations of the Cross. It’s a form of evangelization. We have testimonies about Jesus walking the street and people stopping and crying. One time a police officer working the crowd started crying himself,” Castel said.
“Another time a school bus stopped and the kids were surprised to see Jesus walking the street,” she said. “The kids in general seemed very quiet and in contemplation of what was happening. People have joined us and walked with Jesus (the actor portraying him). You see them crying and getting emotional while walking.” This is evangelization, she noted. “This is why we never stop doing it.”
John Cooper, pastoral associate and business manager at St. Anthony Parish said, “We keep the outdoor crosses up throughout the Octave of Easter, draping white cloth and putting flowers at the foot of the cross. It’s a very visible sign of the transformation that we believe happens with the resurrection.”
“At first you might think that this is just a reenactment play, but when you experience it, something inside you feels the depth and significance of what is being portrayed. You really do get caught up in the mystery of the stations in ways that just doing the traditional stations in church you don’t. Seeing the soldiers treatment of Jesus and his struggle to carry his cross and falling down, really grabs you.”
St. Anthony Parish invites all to participate on Good Friday, April 3 at 1 p.m. starting in front of the church.
To learn more about Stations of the Cross, including prayers and reflections, visit the USCCB website at https://tinyurl.com/ybbynuud.
The Stations of the Cross
First station: Pilate condemns Jesus to die
Second station: Jesus accepts his cross
Third station: Jesus falls for the first time
Fourth station: Jesus meets his mother
Fifth station: Simon helps carry the cross
Sixth station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Seventh station: Jesus falls a second time
Eighth station: Jesus speaks to the women
Ninth station: Jesus falls a third time
Tenth station: Jesus is stripped of his garments
Eleventh station: Jesus is nailed to the cross
Twelfth station: Jesus dies on the cross
Thirteenth station: Jesus is taken down from the cross
Fourteenth station: Jesus is placed in the tomb.
