The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross or Via Crucis, commemorate Jesus’s passion and death on the cross. There are 14 stations that each depict a moment on Jesus’s journey to Calvary, usually through sacred art, prayers, and reflections.
The Stations of the Cross is a powerful way to contemplate and enter into the mystery of Jesus’ gift of Himself to us.
Visit any Parish, Mission or Chapel within the Diocese of Venice and there will be the 14 Stations ready and waiting for someone to begin the prayer which represents the Passion of Jesus as told in the Gospels of the New Testament.
The images on the Stations vary from Parish to Parish. There are a wide variety of stylistic depictions of the Stations within the Diocese. They reflect the preference of the faithful or the artist at the time they were installed. Many are in the form of wood carvings, paintings or marble reliefs. Most are inside, but several Parishes and retreat centers have Stations outside, such as at Our Lady of Perpetual Help retreat Center in Venice, St. Leo the Great Parish in Bonita Springs, St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Cape Coral and many more.
The Stations of the Cross take the Passion and make it an exercise of faith and prayer. From the earliest of days, followers of Jesus told the story of His Passion and Death. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where Jesus walked. These sacred sites become important holy connections with Jesus. Eventually, following in the footsteps of the Lord, the Way of the Cross became a part of the pilgrimage visit.
The practice began as pious pilgrims traced the Lord’s path through Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa. As many wanted to pass along the same route as Jesus, but could not make the journey to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the 14 stations currently found in almost every church throughout the world.
The Stations as we know them today came about when it was no longer easy or even possible to visit the holy sites. In the 1500s, villages all over Europe started creating “replicas” of the Way of the Cross, with small shrines commemorating the places along the route in Jerusalem. Eventually, these shrines became the set of 14 Stations we now know and were placed in almost every Catholic Church in the world.
Today, Parishes and Missions throughout the Diocese of Venice offer this prayer on a monthly basis throughout the year. Lent is a good time to reinvest in this moving prayer and participate in a personal way.
On the Friday of the Second Week of Lent, March 6, 2026, Deacon Samuel Pellerito led about 100 for the Stations of the Cross following the morning Mass at St. Jude Parish in Sarasota. In the late afternoon, Deacon Paul Cronsbruck led the Stations for more than 300 at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. The Stations included musical accompaniment and were preceded by and later followed by Eucharistic Adoration. Please check with your local Parish or Mission for the times that the Stations of the Cross is available.
As the Lenten Season concludes, many Parishes will also be hosting Stations of the Cross on Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion, April 3, either before or following the Liturgy.
Also on this day, many Parishes also host Living Stations, Stations done in the form of a reenactment. The devotion allows the Faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage and meditate on the Passion of Christ. Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to take part in the at the Roman Colosseum.
The Living Stations at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Immokalee will begin at 6 p.m. in a field behind the church where stages will be erected. The opening will include the Last Supper, the betrayal of Christ at the Garden of Gethsemane by Judas; Christ’s appearance before Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year; His appearance before Caiaphas; ending before Pontius Pilate in the praetorium. Next will come the scourging before His sentencing to death. The presentation will be complete with Jesus crowned with thorns, as well as dozens of actors dressed in centurion garb or playing key figures in the retelling of the Passion. A procession will follow through the streets of Immokalee with the 14 Stations rotating between English, Spanish and Creole, before concluding with the crucifixion taking place in the field behind the church.
A Sarasota Ministerial Association-sponsored Stations of the Cross along Main Street in downtown Sarasota will take place at 7 a.m. This will include more than 1,000 representing numerous Christian denominations including priests from several Sarasota area Parishes, including Msgr. Patrick Duboise of Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Father Geroge Suszko of St. Martha Parish in Sarasota, Father Jiobani Batista and Deacon Humberto Alvia of St. Jude Parish in Sarasota, Father Daniel Scanlan of St. Thomas More Parish in Sarasota, and Father Russell Wright of St. Patrick Parish in Sarasota.
The practice began as pious pilgrims traced the Lord’s path through Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa. As many wanted to pass along the same route as Jesus, but could not make the journey to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the 14 stations currently found in almost every church throughout the world.
This devotional prayer is recited throughout the year and tends to concentrate on the Fridays during the Lenten Season. The Stations can also be done in the form of a reenactment, or Living Stations, on Good Friday. Pope Francis took part in the annual Living Stations of the Cross at the Roman Colosseum on Good Friday, April 15, 2022. The devotion allows the Faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage and meditate on the Passion of Christ.
For the Faithful at Jesus the Worker Parish in Fort Myers, the annual Living Stations is something this Hispanic community takes seriously. In the parking lot and field behind the Parish Hall, stages were erected, and a reenactment of the Stations took place, complete with Jesus crowned with thorns, as well as dozens of actors dressed in centurion garb or playing key figures in the retelling of the Passion. Upwards of a thousand Faithful first watched the opening scenes before following the 14-step procession as it wound its way through the Parish parking lot, stopping along the way to relive the suffering Christ endured with a narrator recounting the Gospel readings.
On Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022, the Mass opened with a blessing of the Palms and entrance into the Church, reminiscent of the Lord’s Messianic entrance into Jerusalem.
Each Diocesan Catholic school offered a “Living Stations of the Cross,” typically with older students leading the reenactment of the Passion of Our Lord.
At Sacred Heart Parish in Punta Gorda, the religious education program had their young charges (grades 1-5) participate in an interactive Stations of the Cross. Students were selected to portray key characters bringing the stations “to life,” while Msgr. Phil Hill, an assisting priest, provided the narration and background for each Station. This enabled the children to better understand Jesus’ journey to Calvary. Catechists and parents were on hand to listen to the story leading to Christ’s crucifixion.
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