Over the past years, Central Catholic has celebrated the beginning of the end of Lent with The Stations of the Cross. This ceremony is in remembrance of Christ’s passion that he endured to ensure we have eternal life.

         The Stations of the Cross, is a ceremony in which the whole student body gathers in the gym, and celebrates the passion of the Christ. A student is chosen by their religion teacher to read a station. The student then reflects on what that station means to them as a human being in this world. Each station is a phase that Jesus Christ endured during his crucifixion. For example, the station “Simon helps Jesus carry the Cross”, depicts the soldiers pulling a man from the crowd, and making him carry Jesus’ cross. After each station is read, the student body follows it with a Hail Mary. Central Catholic prides itself in being a Marianist institution, and this ceremony only strengthens that pride. This tradition embodies what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.

        “The standard set from the 17th to 20th centuries has consisted of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following scenes:

1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus carries His cross
3. Jesus falls for the first time
4. Jesus meets His mother, Mary
5. Simon helps Jesus carry the cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. Jesus falls for the second time
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
9. Jesus falls for the third time
10. Jesus is stripped of His clothes
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus is taken down from the cross
14. Jesus is placed in the tomb

Although not traditionally part of the Stations, the Resurrection of Jesus is, in very rare instances, included as a fifteenth station.” (wikipedia.com)

Many people celebrate the Passion of Jesus Christ, but not as many know the exact meaning of this tradition or its history, dating back to the early 1100’s. We celebrate this by going through each stations of the Cross which describe Jesus’ life from his condemnation to his resurrection. Mr. Villalpando, director of Campus Ministry, describes the meaning of the stations as “…the paramount story of our salvation.” He says that the stations are important because “…they illustrate how personal Christ’s death is for us.”

         The Stations of the Cross take on various and significant meanings for different people. Kai Solonka, a Junior who worked on the organization d planning of this event, says that the stations “…signify the struggles and deep pain of our lord Jesus Christ.” Although the exact meanings and interpretations of the stations may differ to many, the core story of our salvation, and the painful sacrificial path that Jesus took towards our redemption remains the same.