From the Director of Catholic Mission & Mercy Ethos

Faith and Mission

Stations of the Cross – Year 9 Religious Education

As part of the topic of Lent and Easter in Religious Education classes for Year 9, students at St Aloysius College have been focusing on the Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross is a 14-step Catholic Lenten devotion that offers witness to Jesus’ Passion and Death. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. At each station we use our senses and our imagination to reflect prayerfully upon Jesus’ suffering, Death, and Resurrection, and to experience the visual images to reflect on Christ’s love for us. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete. Linking in with Caritas’ Project Compassion, the Year 9 students followed the version provided by Caritas which links each station with people and communities they support. The Stations of the Cross are commonly found in churches as a series of 14 small icons or images. They can also appear in church yards arranged along paths. We are fortunate to have 2 sets of the stations – one on the outside walls and another on the inside of the College Capel, which is attached to the convent at the college. Here is a reflection from 2 students on their experience of praying the Stations of the Cross as well as their time visiting the Chapel.

In Religious Education for the past 2 lessons, we got to go to the chapel and pray, the Stations of the Cross. It shows Jesus’ last day and his crucifixion. We heard stories from Caritas Australia and other Caritas groups about people who lived in other countries and their stories. Mr Chesser took us down to the Chapel where we observed the Stations of the Cross both outside and inside of the Chapel. He led us through the significance of the Stations and their meanings. We then went and stood in front of each Station in the Chapel and read through stories from Caritas groups to better help us understand the significance of each value the Station showed. Each Station was relating to a different value which we then reflected on, and said a prayer as a group about. Being in the Chapel was very peaceful as everyone spoke in hushed tones and we spent a lot of time quietly reflecting. It was a nice break from the loudness and hustle of our everyday lives. The Chapel was also full of warm colours, and it made the entire feel of inside the Chapel very welcoming and relaxing.
Polly Jean and Nicola 9C

Michael Chesser
Director of Catholic Mission & Mercy Ethos