LENT

All: Help us Lord, to see more clearly and to realise more deeply our obligation to those whom we should love. Help us to overlook their weaknesses, and to stress their strengths and virtues. Help us to see you in them, to love and serve you in them whoever they are. You showed us an example of this especially on your painful way of the Cross. Help us to follow your wonderful example.

Antiphon:
Keep in mind that Jesus Christ
Has died for us and is risen from the dead.
He is our saving Lord, he is joy for all ages.

1️⃣ FIRST STATION: JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

Kneel

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
All: Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Leader: Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.

Leader: Let us pray

All: Technically and legally, Pilate was your superior, Lord. Technically and legally he was within his rights in condemning you. Surely he acted unjustly, but it was more from fear than from malice. If you love Judas who betrayed you, we may be sure that you loved Pilate who condemned you.

Lord, sometimes it is difficult to love our superiors. We may not like them; or they may give us commands we do not like; or they may be unjust or partial. Yet Lord, if you could love Pilate and Herod and Caiphas, surely we can love those whom you appoint to guide and lead and help us. Help us to do this well, dear Lord.

(stand)

Antiphon

Were you there when they sentenced him to die?
Were you there when they sentenced him to die?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when they sentenced him to die?

2️⃣ SECOND STATION: JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS

(kneel)

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
All: Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Leader: Consider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on his shoulders, thought of us, and offered for us to his Father the death he was about to undergo.

Leader: Let us pray

All: Lord, people hurt me even as they hurt you. They hurt me accidentally and deliberately in body, mind and soul. To love such people is perhaps your most difficult command. Yet, not only did you command but you gave us a magnificent example, you and all your great saints. Help me to follow this example and really to forgive and love my enemies and those who hate and harm me.

(stand)

Antiphon:

Were you there when he carried up his Cross?
Were you there when he carried up his Cross?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when he carried up his Cross?

THIRD STATION

(kneel)

Leader

All

Leader

(pause ....

All

(stand)

Antiphon

JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider this first fall of Jesus under his Cross. His flesh

was torn by the scourges. His head was crowned with

thorns. He had lost a great quantity of blood. So

weakened he could scarcely walk, yet he had to carry this

great load upon his shoulders. The soldiers struck him

rudely, and he fell several times.

. Let us pray)

It is not difficult to love when we are well and happy and

people are good to us. It is when things are black, when

everyone and everything seems to be against us, if we love

them, it is then that we are really following you; it is then

that we are really your disciples.

Were you there when the Cross made him to fall?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when the Cross made him to fall?

FOURTH STATION

JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER

(kneel)

Leader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

All Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Leader —_ Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which

took place on this journey. Their looks became like so

many atrows to wound those hearts which loved each

other so tenderly.

(pause ..... Let us pray)

All It was not difficult for you, Lord, to love your loving

mother. But for us, sometimes it is difficult when we see

their many weaknesses and shortcomings. Help us Lord,

to love them in and through and because of you.

(stand)

Antiphon Were you there when the Mother met her Son?

Were you there when the Mother met her Son?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when the Mother met her Son?

FIFTH STATION

(kneel)

Leader

All

Leader

(pause ....

All

(stand)

Antiphon

SIMON HELPS JESUS TO CARRY THE CROSS

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus was

on the point of expiring and fearing he would die on the

way, whereas they wished him to die the shameful death of

the Cross, constrained Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross

behind Our Lord.

. Let us pray)

One of the most pleasant virtues is gratitude, in big

matters and in little things. Many people help us in many

ways. Help us to realise and appreciate their help and to

love and serve them. Help us to be eternally grateful to

you for your never-ending shower of gifts on us.

Were you there when Simon took the Cross?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when Simon took the Cross?

SIXTH STATION

VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

(kneel)

Leader —_ We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

All Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Leader — Consider how the holy woman named Veronica, secing

Jesus so ill-used, and bathed in sweat and blood, wiped his

face with a towel, on which was left the impression of his

holy countenance.

(pause ..... Let us pray)

All Though that was a small gesture, Veronica in that way

showed her love to you in the way you needed it most at

that time.

Sometimes our love misfires. We give the wrong things to

the wrong person in the wrong way at the wrong time.

Help us, Lord, to realise that love does not mean just

getting rid of things, which may be a form of self-service,

but understanding others and their needs and helping them

at the time they need it most.

(stand)

Antiphon Were you there when she wiped his bruised face?

Were you there when she wiped his bruised face?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when she wiped his bruised face?

SEVENTH STATION

(kneel)

Leader

All

Leader

(pause .....

All

(stand)

Antiphon

JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross; a fall

which renews the pain of all the wounds in His head and

members.

Let us pray)

Lord, the soldiers who were taking you to be crucified

were but doing their duty. They were ordinary people

doing what for them was, but another day’s work. Most of

our companions are like that — ordinary people doing

ordinary work. Let us pray for them and love them, even

though in and through their work, consciously or

unconsciously they may hurt us.

Were you there when he fell a second time?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when he fell a second time?

JESUS CONSOLES THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

(kneel)

Leader

All

Leader

(pause .....

All

(stand)

Antiphon

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how these women wept with compassion at

seeing Jesus in such a pitiable state, streaming with blood

as he walked along. “Daughters of Jerusalem,” said he,

“weep not for me, but for yourselves and for your

children.”

Let us pray)

It is very difficult to understand the needs of others when

we are suffering and hurt. Yet on your way to Calvary you

encouraged and consoled the women of Jerusalem. Help

us never neglect opportunities of helping others, no matter

how difficult it may be for us.

Were you there when the women wept for him?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when the women wept for him?

(kneel)

Leader

All

Leader

(pause .....

All

(stand)

Antiphon

JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was

extreme, and the cruelty of his executioners excessive,

who tried to hasten his steps when he could scarcely

move.

Let us pray)

Lord, help me to love strangers, odd people I meet, people

I don’t know, people who at first may seem aggressive, but

in whom you dwell. Help me, by showing love to these

people to bring you to birth in them, so that they too may

come to know and love you. Help me to preach you, the

God of love, by my love.

Were you there when he stumbled once again?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when he stumbled once again?

(kneel)

Leader

All

Leader

(Pause .....

All

(stand)

Antiphon

JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the violence with which Jesus was stripped by

the executioners. His inncr garments adhered to his torn

flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin

came with them.

Let us pray)

I suppose Lord, your clothes were the last things you

could call your own. Yet you allowed them to be taken

from you.

Very often, I need far less than I have. Help me to be

more generous with my possessions. Help me to

remember that I am a steward not the owner, and that

possibly in God’s eyes another person in need may have

greater right than I do to something I have but do not need.

Were you there when they stripped him of his robes?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when they stripped him of his robes?

(kneel)

Leader

All

Leader

(pause .....

All

(stand)

Antiphon

JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how Jesus, having been placed upon the Cross,

extended his hands, and offered to his Eternal Father the

sacrifice of his life for our salvation. Those soldiers

fastened him with nails, and then securing the Cross,

allowed him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet.

Let us pray)

All strength flows from prayer. A loving person must love

God; and a praying person should love others. You, in

complete union with God found time and energy even in

your darkest moments to love and pray for others, even

those who were inflicting the greatest pain on you.

Help us, Lord to be loving people who pray, and praying

people who love.

Were you there when they nailed him to the Cross?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when they nailed him to the Cross?

(kneel)

Leader

All

Leader

(pauSe .....

All

(stand)

Antiphon

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how Jesus, being consumed with anguish after

three hours of agony on the Cross, abandoned himself to

the weight of his body, bowed his head and died.

Let us pray)

It is difficult to help others when it makes demands on

ourselves. But there is no way we can love if we are not

prepared to sacrifice. You loved us Lord Jesus and you

sacrificed your life for us. Help us to be real Christians,

giving ourselves generously to the service of others.

Were you there when he died upon the Cross?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when he died upon the Cross?

THIRTEENTH STATION

JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS

(kneel)

Leader — We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

All Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Leader Consider how, after Our Lord had expired, two of his

disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took him down from the

Cross, and placed him in the arms of his afflicted Mother.

(pause ..... Let us pray)

All One of the most difficult tasks of love is fraternal

correction. Yet you did this often during your life and

even at the moment of death. Help me, when the need

arises, to do this task courageously, yet gently, and

tactfully trying not to hurt but to build up and help the

person.

(stand)

Antiphon Were you there when they laid him in her arms?

Were you there when they laid him in her arms?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when they laid him in her arms?

FOURTEENTH STATION

JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB

(kneel)

Leader — We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

All Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Leader —_ Consider how the disciples, accompanied by his Holy

Mother, carried the body of Jesus to bury it. They closed

the tomb, and all came sorrowfully away.

(pause ..... Let us pray)

All Lord, somehow, even though you were dead you managed

to inspire hope in the hopeless mourners around you. Help

me to consider this an important part of the apostolate of

love — to give hope to the hopeless, courage to the faint-

hearted, life and faith to the despairing.

(stand)

Antiphon Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Leader Let us pray.

All Love is our vocation, but it is difficult to live it. Yet

without it life is meaningless. Everything else is depend-

ent on and subservient to it. Lord, you call us to this

vocation and we believe you will give us the necessary

strength to live it. You have shown us how to live it by

your own wonderful example. Help us to follow you on

this glorious road of love. By loving others, let us come

ever closer to you and love you ever more dearly.

BLESSING WITH THE CROSS

Priest May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and

the Holy Spirit.

All Amen.

Priest May he defend you from all evils and bring you to life

eternal. And may the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

All Amen.

Stations: Transitus of St Francis 🆕

STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Grieving with Christ in the Spirit of St Francis’ Transitus (Death)

INTRODUCTION

FRIAR: Sisters and brothers, welcome!

we enter this Way of the Cross not just to remember,

but to grieve with Christ, and with St Francis.

Francis did not stand at a distance from the Passion.
He allowed it to touch him, to move him, to transform him.

Today, we do the same: bringing our own grief, our own burdens,

and walking this path with love.

FRIAR: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Opening Prayer

FRIAR and All:

Lord Jesus, as we walk this way of the Cross with You,

draw us into the mystery of Your suffering love.
Teach us, like St Francis, to grieve with hearts that remain open,

so that our sorrow may lead us into deeper union with You. Amen.

LEADER: First station: Jesus is Condemned to Death

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (John 19:15–16)

LEADER: Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him.”
So he handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.

Reflection

FRIAR: Jesus stands condemned: truth unrecognised, love rejected. God is misunderstood.

There is a quiet grief here:

The pain of loving, and not being received as love.

In Francis’ own life, he too was misunderstood:

By his family, by society, even by those closest to him.

Yet he did not fight to prove himself right.

He remained in humility, trusting that love need not justify itself.

We too, know this grief.

When we are misjudged, when our intentions are unseen,

when doing good costs us more than we expected…

can we remain gentle? Can we still love?

Grief does not harden Christ. It reveals His love. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, misunderstood and condemned, stay with us.
When we are judged unfairly, keep our hearts gentle.
Teach us to love, even when we are not understood. Amen

Please Stand

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.

LEADER: Second station: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (John 19:17)

LEADER: So they took Jesus, and He went out, bearing His own Cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.

Reflection

FRIAR: Jesus takes up the Cross: Not resisting, not escaping.

The grief deepens here: This is the moment of acceptance.

The suffering is no longer distant. It is now His to carry.

Francis came to recognise this mystery slowly.

What he once feared, he eventually embraced,

not because suffering is good, but because it became a place

where he met Christ.

We too know this moment:

the moment we realise: this burden is not going away.

Illness, responsibility, disappointment, loss… something we did not choose, but now must carry.

And grief rises and becomes heavy.

Yet Christ does not carry the Cross alone. Nor do we Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, when the Cross is placed upon us, walk with us.
Teach us to carry what we cannot change with love.
Let our burdens draw us closer to You.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.

LEADER: Third station: Jesus Falls the First Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Isaiah 53: 4)

LEADER: Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered Him punished by God,

stricken by Him, and afflicted.

Reflection

FRIAR: Jesus falls. The weight is real. The body gives way.

The grief here is quiet but piercing: the grief of limitation,

of discovering that even love, in the flesh, grows tired.

Francis knew this kind of weakness.

His body, once strong, became frail through illness.

His strength faded, his sight dimmed, and he had to depend on others.

He accepted his weakness and frailty with peace,

as part of his union with Christ.

And so we are invited to bring our own falling:

the moments we cannot cope, when we break,

when we realise we are not as strong as we thought.

There is grief in that. But Christ is already there.

He does not wait for us to stand. He meets us in the dust. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, You who fell under the Cross, meet us in our weakness.
When we feel overwhelmed, do not let us despair.
Lift us gently, and help us rise again.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother, highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One.

LEADER: Fourth station: Jesus Meets His Mother

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Luke 2:34–35)

LEADER: …and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed”.

Reflection

FRIAR: Their eyes meet: No words, only love and sorrow.

A grief that is shared, not solved.

Mary cannot take away the Cross. Jesus cannot remove her pain.

Yet they remain present to each other.

Francis, in his final moments, gathered his brothers.

He did not face death alone.

There was grief, but also presence, tenderness, blessing.

Love remained, even as life slipped away.

This is a grief we know well:

The grief of watching someone suffer, and unable to fix it.

To stand beside a loved one in pain… to accompany, but not to save.

And yet, this is where love becomes most real,

not in changing the situation, but in staying. To remain… is love. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, teach us to remain with those who suffer.
When we cannot fix, help us to be present.
May our love be faithful, even in helplessness.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord

LEADER: Fifth station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Mark 15:21)

LEADER: And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry His Cross.

Reflection

FRIAR: Simon is pulled into this moment: unexpected, unwilling at first.

Yet he finds himself carrying the Cross of another.

There is a grief here too: the grief of interruption,

of having our plans disrupted by someone else’s need.

Francis experienced this when he encountered the leper.

What he once avoided became the turning point of his life.

In embracing the suffering of another, his own heart was transformed.

We often resist this kind of grief:
the inconvenience of love, the cost of caring.

And yet, it is here that we meet Christ most concretely.

To carry another’s burden is not easy. But it changes us.

Love expands… through what we carry for others Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, open our hearts to the burdens of others.
When love interrupts us, give us generosity.
May we discover You in those we help.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother's pain untold?

LEADER: Sixth station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Matthew 25: 40)

LEADER: The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”

Reflection

FRIAR: A small gesture, yet deeply personal.

She steps forward, not to solve, but to console.

The grief here is tender. The kind that sees and responds.

Francis lived with this gaze.

He saw Christ in the poor, the sick, the forgotten.

He did not turn away.

His love was not grand. It was attentive.

In grief, we sometimes feel powerless.

But love does not always need to change everything.

Sometimes, it simply needs to be present in a small, real way.

A word, a gesture, a presence… And Christ receives it. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, make us attentive to quiet suffering.
Help us to respond with simple love.
May our small acts reveal Your presence.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
she beheld her tender Child
All with bloody scourges rent:

LEADER: Seventh station: Jesus Falls the Second Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Proverbs 24:16)

LEADER: .. for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes

Reflection

FRIAR: He falls again.

Not the first time, and that is what makes it heavier.

The grief here is discouragement.

The feeling of trying again… and still failing.

Francis endured long suffering.

Not a single moment, but a journey.

Yet he remained faithful, not because it was easy,

but because his love was steady.

We know this kind of grief: the repetition of struggle.

The habits we cannot break, the wounds that do not heal quickly,

the efforts that seem to lead nowhere.

And yet Christ rises again. Not dramatically, but faithfully. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, when we grow tired of trying, strengthen us.
When we fall again, give us courage to rise.
Keep us faithful in the long journey.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live:

LEADER: Eighth station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Luke 23:28)

LEADER: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.

Reflection

FRIAR: Jesus turns to them.

Not to reject their grief, but to deepen it.

There is a grief that remains on the surface,

and a grief that transforms the heart.

Francis wept often when reflecting on Christ’s Passion.

But his tears were not empty.

They led him to conversion, to deeper love, to a changed life.

We too grieve, but sometimes we stay at the level of emotion,

without allowing it to change us.

Jesus invites us deeper.

Not just to feel… but to be transformed. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, take our grief deeper.
Let our sorrow lead to conversion.
Change our hearts through what we feel.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?

LEADER: Nineth station: Jesus Falls the Third Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (2 Corinthians 12:9)

LEADER: My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.

Reflection

FRIAR: A final fall.

Close to the end. Strength is almost gone.

This is the grief of exhaustion, when there is nothing left to give.

Francis, near death, was weak and dependent.

Yet there was peace.

Not because the suffering ended,

but because he had surrendered fully.

We too reach moments like this,

when we are drained, when we cannot continue as before.

And yet, grace is near.

Not removing weakness—but filling it. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, in our exhaustion, be our strength.
When we have nothing left, remain with us.
Let Your grace carry us.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ my Lord.

LEADER: Tenth station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (John 19:23-24)

LEADER: “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be”. This was to fulfil the Scripture, “They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots”

Reflection

FRIAR: Everything is taken. Even dignity.

The grief here is exposure: losing control, losing what defines us.

Francis chose this path: stripping himself of wealth, status, identity. Not to lose himself, but to belong entirely to God.

We experience this too, when life strips us of certainty, security, image.

It is painful. But also freeing.

Because what remains… is who we truly are before God. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, in our losses, remain our security.
When everything is taken, hold us close.
Teach us to trust in You alone.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me share with thee His pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.

LEADER: Eleventh station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Luke 23:33-34)

LEADER: And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”

Reflection

FRIAR: Nailed. Fixed. Unable to move.

And yet He forgives.

The grief here is intense: not only pain, but the choice to love within it.

Francis bore the wounds of Christ in his own body.

His suffering became union.

We too are wounded: by others, by life.

And forgiveness feels impossible.

Yet here, love continues.

Not because it is easy, but because it is divine. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, in our wounds, teach us to forgive.
When love is hardest, remain within us.
Heal our hearts through Your mercy.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
is all I ask of thee to give.

LEADER: Twelfth station: Jesus Dies on the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (John 19:30)

LEADER: When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

With that, He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit

Reflection

FRIAR: “It is finished.”

A final breath.

The grief here is real loss.

Francis, at his Transitus, welcomed death not with fear, but with trust. He called it “Sister Death,” not because it was easy,

but because he believed love continues beyond it.

We too face loss of people, of dreams, of life as we knew it.

And we grieve.

But not without hope.

Because love does not end here. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, receive those we have lost.
Comfort us in our grief.
Strengthen our hope in You.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me, to my latest breath,
in my body bear the death
of that dying Son of thine.

LEADER: Thirteen station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Matthew 27:57-58)

LEADER: When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.

Reflection

FRIAR: The body is held: silent, still.

The grief here is tender, intimate.

Francis was surrounded by his brothers, held in love as he passed.

We know this grief: holding what we must let go.

And yet, love remains.

In memory, in presence, in quiet. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, hold us in our sorrow.
Help us to cherish what has been given.
Keep love alive within us.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
by Thy Mother my defense,
by Thy Cross my victory;

LEADER: Fourteen station: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Matthew 27:59–60)

LEADER: And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.

Reflection

FRIAR: Silence. Waiting. Darkness.

The grief here is unresolved.

Francis entered this mystery with trust.

Not seeing what comes next, but believing.

We too wait in uncertainty, in silence.

And yet… God is at work.

Even here. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, in the silence, stay with us.
When we cannot see, deepen our faith.
Lead us gently toward hope.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

While my body here decays,
may my soul Thy goodness praise,
safe in paradise with Thee.

Closing Prayer

FRIAR: Let us pray.

ALL: Lord Jesus,
as we have walked with You in grief,
teach us to remain in love, to trust in weakness,
and to hope in the quiet promise of resurrection.

Amen.

FRIAR: This season of Lent, we would like to join our Holy Father in his prayer intention.

For Disarmament and Peace

Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.

One Our Father
One Hail Mary
One Glory Be

Blessing
Final Hymn

Stations: Care for Creation

FRIAR: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

As we contemplate these sacred Stations, may our hearts be opened to the grace that flows from the Cross into all creation. May we learn to see the world as you see it — a gift entrusted to our care, redeemed by your sacrifice, and sustained by your love.

LEADER: May our prayer through these Stations transform us — to be obedient without complaint, caring without indifference, simple in our living without regret, patient in restoring what has been harmed, humble in recognising that the earth is yours, not ours, joyful in gratitude for the gift of life, and truthful in our responsibility to safeguard your creation.

Be with us, Jesus, our Lord and our God, for with humility we walk this pilgrimage in your footsteps, seeking not only our own conversion, but the renewal of the whole world you have redeemed by the Cross.

Let us pray together.

ALL: Loving God, we confess that we cannot rely on our own strength, for we do not know how to pray as we ought. In your mercy, bless us now and open our hearts to receive your grace.

Bless our minds, that as we reflect on these sacred mysteries, we may grow in wisdom and become faithful stewards of the earth you entrust to us.

Bless our ears, that we may hear your voice clearly and listen attentively to the cry of the poor and the groaning of wounded creation.

Bless our lips, that we may speak words that heal, protect, and give thanks for the beauty of the world you have made.

Bless our hands, that we may act with care, justice, and responsibility toward all that you place in our keeping.

Bless our hearts, that we may love not only one another, but all creation, which you sustain in being.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

➕

LEADER: First Station Jesus Is Condemned to Death

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Please kneel

LEADER: "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified:' And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified:' Then, he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. -Matthew 27:22-23, 26

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY ON OPPRESSION AND THE ABUSE OF POWER

God of all Creation, we confess that we are not God.
You formed the earth before us and entrusted it to our care as gift, not possession. Forgive us when we have treated it as something to control, exploit, or consume without reverence.

You created us in your image, not to dominate, but to reflect your wisdom, humility, and love. When we have misunderstood your Word and used it to justify harm — to the earth or to one another — lead us to repentance and deeper understanding.

In a world driven by short-term gain and the pursuit of power, grant us the courage to choose what is right over what is convenient. Free us from narrow vision and teach us to think beyond immediate advantage.

Make us leaders in service, not masters in control. Help us to begin processes of healing, justice, and restoration that will bear fruit for generations to come. Form in us patience instead of haste, responsibility instead of indifference, and hope instead of despair.

May we cooperate with you in renewing the face of the earth, and may our stewardship reflect your glory.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Second Station Jesus Carries the Cross

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Please kneel

LEADER: The soldiers clothed him in a purple cloak, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him. And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. -Mark 15:1 7-20

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY FOR CREATURES THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION

God of all life and beauty, we turn to you with humble hearts.

Soften and transform us, that we may truly cherish and protect the fragile web of life you have lovingly created. Open our eyes to recognise your presence reflected in the rich diversity of creatures — in their wonder, their uniqueness, and their place within the harmony of creation.

Grant us the grace of conversion. Show us what must change in our lifestyles, in our patterns of production and consumption, and in the systems that shape our world. Give us clarity to see, courage to turn away from harmful habits, and perseverance to choose responsibility and restraint.

Form in us the virtues of gratitude, simplicity, and solidarity. Strengthen us to live as faithful stewards, practising care for creation not only in great initiatives, but in small and consistent acts of love each day.

Shape us more fully in your image and likeness, that our love for you may be reflected in reverent care for every creature. May our lives bear witness to a generous and creative love — a love that honours you by safeguarding all that you have made.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Third Station Jesus Falls the First Time

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Please kneel

LEADER: Surely, he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we were healed. -Isaiah 53:4, 5

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY ON THE EXTINCTION OF BIODIVERSITY

God of all Creation, we come before you aware of the loss unfolding in our world.

Forgive us when we have treated your creatures merely as resources for our use, forgetting that each being has its own worth before you. Open our eyes to recognise the sacred value woven into every part of creation, beyond profit, productivity, or convenience.

We grieve the countless plant and animal species that have disappeared — many unknown to us, many never to be seen by future generations. Through human actions, voices that once gave you glory by their very existence have fallen silent. Have mercy on us for the harm we have caused, and teach us reverence for life in all its forms.

Hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, calling us to a different path. Save us from despair, and lead us instead to true conversion.

You entrusted the earth to our care so that it might reflect your desire for harmony, peace, beauty, and fullness of life. Make us instruments of your restoring love. Help us to choose protection over exploitation, responsibility over indifference, and hope over neglect.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Fourth Station Jesus Meets His Mother

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also) that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed:' And his mother kept all these things in her heart. -Luke 2:34-35, 51

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY FOR THE CRY OF THE EARTH AND THE CRY OF THE POOR

God of all Creation, we turn to you in humility and trust.

Draw us close to the heart of Mary, our Mother. As she cared tenderly for Jesus in his earthly life, she now embraces this wounded world with maternal love and sorrow. Through her pierced and compassionate heart, teach us to see as she sees and to love as she loves.

We lift before you the suffering of the poor, crucified by injustice, and the earth itself, scarred by greed and misuse of power. United with her Son’s redeeming love, Mary shares in the pain of every creature that suffers. Through her intercession, awaken in us a deeper compassion.

Grant us eyes to recognise what is broken, courage to face uncomfortable truths, and hearts that refuse indifference. Open our ears to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

May these cries stir us to loving action rather than despair. Guided by Mary’s faith and courage, make us instruments of healing, justice, and hope for our common home.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Fifth Station Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: Let us consider Jesus looking deep into the eyes of Simon the Cyrenian. Simon's arms meet the arms of Jesus, wrapped around the Cross. Simon can feel the exhaustion of Jesus' body begging for help. As their eyes meet, and their arms intertwine, Jesus whispers the words of Psalm 69 to Simon. (Pause)

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me

O LORD God of hosts;

Let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,

O God of lsrael.

For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY ON OUR DISCONNECTION FROM THE WEB OF CREATION

God of all Creation, we come before you aware of how often we have lived as though we were separate — separated from the earth, from one another, and from your loving design.

Forgive us for the ways we have fractured what you created in harmony. Draw us back into right relationship: with creation, with our brothers and sisters, and with you, our Creator.

Teach us that caring for our common home requires more than isolated efforts. Unite the whole human family in seeking a development that is sustainable and integral — one that honours human dignity and protects the natural world. Strengthen our hope, knowing that you do not abandon your creation and that you continue to work through us.

Renew in us the conviction that we are one human family. Remove from our hearts the barriers of indifference, selfishness, and division. Let no border, interest, or fear excuse us from responsibility for one another.

Awaken in us a deeper sense of belonging — to each other and to the delicate web of life you sustain. Grant us unity, courage, and hope, that we may act together for the healing of our common home.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Sixth Station, Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. -Isaiah 53:2-3

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY FOR AWARENESS AND A HEART THAT SHARES IN SUFFERING

God of all Creation, we come before you seeking not information alone, but transformation of heart.

Teach us that true awareness is more than knowledge; it is the grace to see with compassion and to feel the wounds of the world as our own. Open our hearts to a deeper understanding of what is happening to our common home and to the poor who suffer most.

Give us courage to face these realities without turning away. Free us from indifference. Allow the pain of creation and the cries of the vulnerable to touch us, disturb us, and lead us to genuine conversion. Help us to understand that compassion is not weakness, but a sharing in your own loving concern for all that you have made.

Though we are limited and imperfect, your boundless love sustains us. You have created us for love. Stir within us generosity, solidarity, and tender care, so that our awareness may give birth to action and our sorrow may grow into faithful commitment.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Seventh Station, Jesus Falls the Second Time

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: Be gracious to me, 0 LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. -Psalm 31:9-10

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY ON CLIMATE CHANGE

God of all Creation, you entrusted the climate of our planet as a shared gift, sustaining every person and every living being. You fashioned a delicate balance that makes life possible, and you called it good.

We confess that through our patterns of production, consumption, and lifestyle, we have contributed to the disruption of this balance. As the earth warms, the seas rise, and extreme weather increases, awaken in us a sense of moral responsibility. Lead us to conversion — not only in prayer, but in the practical choices of daily life.

Guard us from placing economic gain above human dignity and the integrity of creation. When markets become absolute and profit becomes the only measure, the vulnerable are forgotten — the poor and the earth alike. Purify our priorities, Lord, and restore justice to our decision-making.

Yet we do not pray in fear, but in hope. Each of us is conceived in your loving heart, willed, loved, and necessary. Because we are created in love, we are capable of choosing differently. Make us guardians rather than exploiters, collaborators rather than competitors, protectors rather than destroyers.

May our renewed awareness lead to responsibility, and our responsibility to faithful action, so that our common home may continue to reflect your beauty, goodness, and glory.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Eighth Station, Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

LEADER: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" -Luke 23:28-31

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY ON CONFLICT AND WAR

God of peace and Lord of all Creation, we confess that harmony between you, humanity, and the earth has been wounded by our pride. We have forgotten our limits and sought to dominate rather than to care. What you entrusted to us as stewardship, we have too often turned into control and conflict — within our hearts, among peoples, and against the earth itself.

Heal the divisions we have created. Purify the desires that lead to violence against both creation and one another. Remind us that we have only one heart: when we harm the earth, we harm our neighbour; when we sow injustice, we reap unrest.

Teach us that peace, justice, and care for creation are inseparable. Form in us a spirit that defends human dignity, safeguards the vulnerable, and reverences the gift of the earth.

Turn us from domination to stewardship, from hostility to communion, from violence to reconciliation. Make us instruments of your peace, so that all creation may live in harmony and give you glory.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Ninth Station, Jesus Falls a Third Time

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days, the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand; he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities. -Isaiah 53:7, 10-11

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY ON POLLUTION AND WATER

God of all Creation, you call the earth, the waters, the sun and moon, and all the stars to praise you. By your loving command, all things came into being, and in you they continue to exist. We live not apart from you, but with you and through you, and so we lift our hearts in worship and gratitude.

Yet we confess that we have wounded what you declared good. Polluted rivers, poisoned air, and degraded lands reveal how far we have strayed from our vocation as caretakers. Forgive us for the harm we have caused — not only through technical failure, but through moral weakness and spiritual indifference.

Cleanse our hearts, for the roots of this crisis lie within us. Teach us that lasting change requires conversion. Help us to replace excess with sacrifice, greed with generosity, and waste with a spirit of sharing. Form in us a loving discipline that seeks not only to give things up, but to give ourselves in service.

Turn us gently from “what I want” to “what your world needs.” May our care for water and all creation become an act of praise, a sign of gratitude, and a faithful expression of love for you.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Tenth Station, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also, his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be:' -John 19:23

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY FOR WISDOM IN THE FACE OF DEPLETING NATURAL RESOURCES

God of all Creation, you have filled the earth with abundance and entrusted its riches to our care.

Grant us a global vision, that we may recognise how our patterns of consumption and our economic systems affect the earth and the lives of others. Open our eyes to the far-reaching consequences of our choices.

At the same time, give us a local vision — attentive to the concrete realities of our communities. Teach us to respect cultures and circumstances different from our own, and to listen humbly to the wisdom of peoples, especially Indigenous communities, who have long lived in harmony with the land.

We confess that our technological power has grown faster than our moral responsibility. We often lack the discipline and wisdom to govern what we have unleashed. In our excess, we strip the earth of its resources, ignore the suffering of the poor, and forget the needs of future generations — forgetting that all is gift, flowing from your boundless generosity.

Awaken in us gratitude, restraint, and solidarity. Lead us toward simpler living and just sharing, so that the riches of the earth may be preserved and cherished for all your children, today and tomorrow.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Eleventh Station, Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: And when they came to the place which is called the Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. -Luke 23:33

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY TO ERADICATE ABUSE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING

God of all Creation, we cry out to you as our Sister Earth groans under the weight of exploitation and abuse. Forgive us for the times we have acted as masters rather than stewards, taking without gratitude and consuming without restraint. The earth, wounded and burdened, joins the suffering of all who are forgotten and oppressed.

Cleanse our hearts of the spirit of domination that harms both land and people. When we reduce creation to profit, we begin to reduce human beings to commodities. We grieve the trafficking of women, men, and children — a grave violation of the sacred dignity you have placed in every human life.

Lord, you do not abandon your creation. Call us to conversion and courageous action. Make us instruments of your justice and compassion. Strengthen us to protect the vulnerable, defend the oppressed, and challenge every structure that profits from exploitation.

Restore what has been broken. Heal what has been wounded. Until every person is treated with dignity and freedom, and all creation resounds once more with your praise.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross

FRIAR: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the Scripture), "I thirst:' A bowl of vinegar stood there; so, they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. -John 19:28-30

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY AS WE STAND BEFORE A WOUNDED EARTH

God of all Creation, you who called the universe into being from nothing, remain Lord over history and over every wounded corner of our world. No darkness is beyond your light; no evil is beyond your redeeming power. Injustice and destruction do not have the final word.

When we see forests laid waste, waters polluted, species lost, and communities broken, we confess that we are tempted to despair. Yet you remind us that hope is never extinguished where even one heart chooses goodness. A single act of love, inspired by your grace, can begin the work of healing.

We thank you for revealing this hope most fully in Jesus Christ, your Son. He entered our wounded world, bore its suffering, and through his death and resurrection opened the path to renewal. In him, we trust that restoration is possible.

Strengthen us to be bearers of that hope. Make us courageous in goodness, steadfast in compassion, and faithful in caring for our common home. Help us to trust that your grace can bring new life even where death seems to reign.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Thirteenth Station, The Body of Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

LEADER: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ....

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: Since it was the day of preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath day was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So, the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of him shall be broken:' -John 19:31-34, 36

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

God of all Creation, we lift before you all who are displaced by climate change and environmental destruction.

You see the communities whose lands have been scarred, whose seas have risen, whose harvests have failed. The poorest are often the most affected, relying directly on the land and waters for survival. With few resources and little protection, they bear burdens they did not create.

We pray for families forced to leave their homes as poverty deepens and ecosystems collapse. Many are not recognised, not protected, not welcomed. They carry the grief of losing their homeland, livelihood, and community, while the world too often turns away.

Forgive us for our indifference. Heal the hardness of heart that weakens our sense of shared responsibility. Restore in us the conviction that we are one human family.

Awaken in us compassion that leads to justice, and justice that leads to action. Strengthen us to defend the dignity of every person, especially those forced to flee because our common home has been wounded.

Make us instruments of solidarity, welcome, and hope.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

LEADER: Fourteenth Station: Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb

LEADER: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we bless you ...

ALL: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

LEADER: And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and departed. -Matthew 27:59-60

Pause

FRIAR: LET US PRAY ON FOOD AND HUNGER

God of all Creation, we acknowledge that the destiny of the universe rests in you — a destiny already revealed in the risen Christ, in whom all things find their fulfilment. When we forget this, we lose sight of the true purpose of our progress and the deeper meaning of our work.

Forgive us for treating your creation as though it existed only for our use. Teach us to recognise that all creatures journey together toward you, their source and final fulfilment. In Christ, all things are gathered, reconciled, and brought into light.

Open our eyes to the scandal of hunger in a world of abundance. When food is wasted, it is as if it were taken from the table of the poor. Awaken our conscience to the injustice of scarcity amid plenty. Grant us wisdom to seek just and practical solutions to food insecurity, and the courage to live more simply and share more generously.

You have endowed us with intelligence and love. Draw us out of selfishness and indifference. Make us instruments of nourishment, justice, and hope, so that through us, all creation may be led back to you, our Creator and our fulfilment.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Amen.

Please Stand

LEADER: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Pour out upon us the power of your love,

ALL: That we may protect life and beauty. Praise be to you!

➕

Let us pray.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: God of all Creation, we believe that one day we shall stand before your infinite beauty, and in joy and wonder behold the mystery of the universe fulfilled in you. In that heavenly communion, all creation will share in the fullness of life, and every fragment of goodness will be gathered into your eternal feast.

As we journey toward that day, you entrust this earthly home to our care. Help us to cherish it with responsibility and love, knowing that nothing good is lost in you.

United with all creatures, we walk this land seeking your face.

May our struggles and our concern for this planet never rob us of the joy that springs from hope.

Strengthen us to live with gratitude, courage, and praise — until all creation rests in your glory.

Praise be to you, Lord of all.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

➕

FRIAR: This season of Lent, we would like to join our Holy Father in his prayer intention.

For children with incurable diseases

Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope.

One Our Father
One Hail Mary
One Glory Be

FINAL AND CLOSING HYMNS

Stations: Dignity of Women

Entrance Hymn: Old Rugged Cross

FRIAR: Dear brothers and sisters,

As we gather, we place ourselves at the foot of the Cross. We do not come merely as observers of a past event, but as disciples who desire to walk with Jesus on His way of love and sacrifice.

Today, we are invited to see more deeply — to recognize that the suffering of Christ continues in the suffering of many, especially in the lives of women whose stories are often unseen, whose strength is often unspoken, and whose wounds are sometimes carried in silence. In their courage, in their faithfulness, and even in their hidden struggles, the face of Christ is present.

Like Saint Francis, who gazed upon the Crucified Lord with tenderness and awe, may we learn to look upon Jesus with love — and to recognize His image reflected in every person we encounter.

With humble hearts, let us now turn to the Lord in prayer.

FRIAR: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

OPENING PRAYER

Lord Jesus, we walk with You on the way of the Cross.
Teach us to see Your suffering in the suffering of women today:
in their strength and in their wounds,
in their faithfulness and in their forgotten stories.
Like Saint Francis, help us gaze upon You with love,
and recognize Your image in every person.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

LEADER: First station: Jesus is Condemned to Death
FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Matthew 27:22–26

LEADER: Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”. They all said, “Let Him be crucified”. And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let Him be crucified”
So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd saying, “I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”. Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified

Reflection
FRIAR: Jesus is condemned not because He is guilty,

but because truth is inconvenient.
Many women today are condemned without trial:
condemned by poverty, by violence, by gossip, by unjust laws,
by cultures that silence their voices.
Francis choses to stand with the powerless because he learned early

what it meant to be rejected for choosing Christ.
When he renounced wealth and privilege,

his own father condemned him publicly.
Only his mother remained quietly supportive,

sheltering him when he was ill and misunderstood.

To follow Jesus is to refuse to participate in systems that shame,

silence, or discard people. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.

ALL: Lord Jesus, You were judged without mercy.
We pray for women judged by society:
single mothers, widows, migrants, victims of abuse.
Teach us to defend their dignity
and never to join in condemnation. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

At the Cross her station keeping,

stood the mournful Mother weeping,

close to her Son to the last.

LEADER: 2nd STATION: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading John 19:17

LEADER: So they took Jesus, and He went out, bearing His own Cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.

Reflection:
FRIAR: Jesus accepts what is heavy, not because it is fair,

but because love requires it.
Many women carry crosses not of their choosing:
unpaid labour, emotional burdens, invisible suffering.
Francis embraced the Cross as the shape of love.
He saw in Christ’s burden the weight of every human sorrow.
Francis teaches us: Christ is not above their suffering. He is inside it.
Every woman bent by responsibility reflects Christ bent beneath the cross. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Jesus, bearer of the Cross,
strengthen women who carry invisible burdens.
Help us to walk beside them, not leave them alone. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,

all His bitter anguish bearing,

now at length the sword has passed.

LEADER:3rd STATION: Jesus Falls the First Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Isaiah 53:4–5

LEADER: Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be put to shame;
for you will forget the same of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood, you will remember no more.

For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of Host is His Name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth He is called.

Reflection:
FRIAR: Christ’s fall tells us: God is not ashamed of collapse.

Francis loved the wounded Christ.
He saw holiness not in perfection but in perseverance.
Women who fall under pressure:
from trauma, depression, or exhaustion
are not weak; they are human.
This fall of Christ tells them: You are not abandoned. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus,
raise up women who feel they cannot go on.
Let them feel Your nearness.
Teach us to be a Church that heals, not condemns. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O how sad and sore distressed

was that Mother, highly blest,

of the sole-begotten One.

LEADER: 4th STATION: Jesus Meets His Mother

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Luke 2:34–35

Reflection:
FRIAR: Mary shows that love remains even when nothing can be fixed.
So many women suffer watching their children suffer:
from violence, addiction, war, or hunger.
Francis would call this sacred suffering.

Francis had known a mother’s quiet courage.
When his father rejected him, it was his mother who defended him.

Francis honoured Mary as humble strength.
This meeting has no words…only pain shared in silence. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Mary, Mother of Sorrows,
strengthen women who watch their children suffer.
Teach us to honour their tears. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Christ above in torment hangs,

she beneath beholds the pangs

of her dying glorious Son.

LEADER: 5th STATION: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Mark 15:21

LEADER: And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry His Cross.

Reflection:
FRIAR: Simon did not choose the cross, yet love was born from interruption.
Women often become Simons:
caregivers, nurses, peacemakers, breadwinners.
Their service is rarely seen as holy,
yet Christ walks because of them.

Francis believed no one carries the cross alone. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, bless the women who help others carry pain.
Give them rest, recognition, and renewal.
Make us helpers, not users. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Is there one who would not weep,

whelmed in miseries so deep,

Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

LEADER: 6th STATION: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Matthew 25:40

LEADER: And the king will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me”

Reflection:
FRIAR: Veronica does not change the Cross:
she changes how it is endured.
Women today show such courage:
in comforting the abused, welcoming the rejected,
protecting the vulnerable.
Francis too, cherished gestures of tenderness.

In them, Christ’s face is revealed again. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Jesus, whose face is wounded,
bless women who dare to show compassion.
May we honour their courage
and imitate their love. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Can the human heart refrain

from partaking in her pain,

in that Mother’s pain untold?

LEADER: 7th STATION: Jesus Falls the Second Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Psalm 37:24

LEADER: …though He fall, He shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord is the stay of His hand.

Reflection:
FRIAR: Christ falling again tells them: You are not forgotten.
Grace is not tired of lifting.

Francis knew repeated failure.
He called it the doorway to humility.
Many women suffer not once but daily:
cycles of violence, poverty, discrimination. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, for women trapped in repeated suffering,
be their strength and shield.
Break cycles of abuse and injustice. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

For the sins of His own nation,

She saw Jesus wracked with torment,

All with scourges rent

LEADER: 8th STATION: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Luke 23:27–31

LEADER: And there followed Him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but week for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’. Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and the hills, ‘Cover us’. For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Reflection:
FRIAR: Jesus honours these women by speaking truth to them.
He does not dismiss their tears, but He deepens their vision.
Women today still weep:
for war, for children, for the earth.
Francis listened to the poor and to women.
During his life, he sought counsel from Clare and trusted her wisdom. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Jesus, give us ears for women’s cries.
Let their wisdom shape our Church and world. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

She beheld her tender Child,

Saw Him hang in desolation,

Till His spirit forth He sent.

LEADER: 9th STATION: Jesus Falls the Third Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Lamentations 3:31–32

LEADER: For the Lord will not cast off for ever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love;

Reflection:
FRIAR: This fall is exhaustion itself.
Women pushed beyond their limits mirror this moment:
bodies tired, spirits stretched thin.
Here Christ says: suffering does not define you; love does.

Francis embraced the crucified Christ totally. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, be near women who feel there is nothing left.
Breathe hope into their weariness. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O thou Mother! fount of love!

Touch my spirit from above,

make my heart with thine accord

LEADER: 10th STATION: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading John 19:23–24

LEADER: When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also His tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be”. This was to fulfil the Scripture, “They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots”

Reflection:
FRIAR: Jesus is stripped by force:
Francis too stripped himself to follow Christ.
Clare stripped herself of wealth and status to belong to Christ.

Many women today, are stripped of dignity

by abuse, trafficking, or humiliation.
God stands naked with them.
No shame is beneath Him. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Jesus, clothe wounded women with honour and safety.
May we protect their bodies and their worth. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Make me feel as thou hast felt;

make my soul to glow and melt

with the love of Christ my Lord.

LEADER: 11th STATION: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Luke 23:33–34

Reflection:
FRIAR: Women are often “nailed” by expectation, by silence, by fear.
Yet Christ’s wounds cry forgiveness, not revenge.
In women who forgive, Christ lives again.

Francis saw the stigmata as love’s mark. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, heal women wounded by cruelty.
Free them from chains of fear. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Holy Mother! pierce me through,

in my heart each wound renew

of my Savior crucified

LEADER: 12th STATION: Jesus Dies on the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading John 19:30

LEADER: When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, “It is finished”; and He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit

Pause in Silence

Reflection:
FRIAR: Love gives everything.
Many women give their lives quietly:
for families, communities, and faith.
Francis too must have wept at such moments.
Yet at his own death, Lady Jacoba stood by his side.

The many sacrifices of woman

shows how true love stays even to the end. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Jesus, receive the suffering of women into Your saving love.
Let no pain be wasted. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me share with thee His pain,

who for all my sins was slain,

who for me in torments died.

LEADER: 13th STATION: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Matthew 27:57-58

Reflection:
FRIAR: Women today cradle the dead: victims of war, drugs, disease.
This is the sorrow of the world’s mothers.
God does not turn away.

Francis’ own mother had once held him when he was broken and ill. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, console women who bury, or hold grief for their loved ones.
Hold them when words fail. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,

be Thy Mother my defense,

be Thy Cross my victory;

LEADER: 14th STATION: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Matthew 27:59–60

Reflection:
FRIAR: The tomb is silence, waiting, fear.
Francis trusted in resurrection even in darkness.

Many women live in such tombs: poverty, grief, forgottenness.
But God is already working in the dark. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Jesus, bring hope to women who wait in the darkness of despair.
Make us signs of the resurrection. Amen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

While my body here decays,

may my soul Thy goodness praise,

Safe in Paradise with Thee.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: Lord Jesus,
through the Cross You showed us the dignity of suffering love.
Teach us, like Saint Francis,
to see You in wounded women and faithful mothers,

in saints like St Clare, and companions like Lady Jacoba.
May Your resurrection begin in us,

so that we; Your church, may walk with them.

Amen.

FRIAR: This season of Lent, we would like to join our Holy Father in his prayer intention.

For children with incurable diseases

Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope.

One Our Father
One Hail Mary
One Glory Be

CLOSING HYMNS: AVE MARIA

Stations: Wolf of Gubbio

Entrance Hymn: Were you there?

INTRODUCTION

FRIAR: Brothers and sisters, welcome.

Tonight we walk with Jesus on the Way of the Cross.
We walk as people who long for peace in our hearts, our families, and our world.

Inspired by St Francis and his encounter with the Wolf of Gubbio,
we ask for eyes that see not enemies,

but wounded brothers and sisters.
Let us walk with Jesus, and let His Cross teach us the way of peace

as we sign ourselves...

FRIAR: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

OPENING PRAYER

All: Lord Jesus,
as we walk with You on the way of the Cross,
teach us the peace You revealed to St Francis of Assisi:
a peace that listens, understands, and reconciles.

Open our hearts to see not enemies,

but wounded brothers and sisters.
Transform our fear into compassion,
and make this journey a path of healing for our world.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

LEADER: First station: Jesus is Condemned to Death
FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Please Kneel

Scripture Reading Matthew 27:20

LEADER: The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to demand Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

FRIAR: Jesus is condemned by fear and misunderstanding.
The crowd sees Him as a threat, not as truth.

In Gubbio, the townspeople condemned the wolf without listening to its hunger.
They fed it violence, and violence multiplied.

Francis did not condemn. He approached.
He listened to the wolf’s story of hunger and pain.
Francis believed that peace begins when we stop labelling

and start listening.

The Cross shows us that love absorbs violence instead of returning it.

Who are we condemning today without knowing their hunger? Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, teach us to listen before we judge.
We choose today to speak peace instead of suspicion.
Make us instruments of Your peace. Amen.

Please Stand

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

At the Cross her station keeping,

stood the mournful Mother weeping,

close to her Son to the last.

LEADER: Second station: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Please Kneel

Scripture Reading John 19:17

LEADER: So they took Jesus, and He went out, bearing His own Cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.

FRIAR: Jesus receives the Cross as His path of love, as His mission

The Cross is heavy because it carries the hatred of the world and the love of God at the same time.

Francis understood this when he walked toward the wolf of Gubbio.
He carried the fear of the people and the hunger of the wolf in his own heart.

He did not wait for the wolf to become gentle first.
He did not wait for the town to become kind first.

Peace is not passive. Peace walks toward danger with trust in God.

The Cross shows us that peace costs something.
It costs courage. It costs humility. It costs love. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, give us courage to carry the Cross of reconciliation.
Help us walk toward conflict with faith, not fear.
Make our lives signs of Your peace. Amen

Please Stand

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,

all His bitter anguish bearing,

now at length the sword has passed.

LEADER: Third station: Jesus Falls the First Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Isaiah 53:7

LEADER: Though He was harshly treated, He submitted and did not open His mouth.

FRIAR: Jesus falls under the weight of suffering.

Peace feels heavy when the world resists it.

It seems easier to fight than to forgive.

The wolf fell into violence because it was starving.
The town fell into hatred because it was afraid.

Francis saw both falls, but chose understanding.

This first fall teaches us: Peace is difficult because wounds are deep.
But falling does not mean failing.

Christ falls so that no fall is forgotten by God.

What are we feeding? Anger or mercy? Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, lift us when we fall into anger or despair.
Feed our hearts with Your mercy.
Teach us to rise again as people of peace. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O how sad and sore distressed

was that Mother, highly blest,

of the sole-begotten One.

LEADER: Fourth station: Jesus Meets His Mother

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Luke 2:34–35

LEADER: and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed”.

FRIAR: Mary does not fight the soldiers or stop the Cross.

She stands by Her Son and strengthens Him with Her presence.

Francis met the wolf not with shouting, but with gentleness.
He called it “Brother Wolf.” Not enemy, but Brother.

Peace grows when we see the other not as threat, but as family.

When Francis spoke to the wolf,

he restored relationship before behaviour.

Peace does not begin with control. It begins with communion. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, teach us to see one another as brothers and sisters.
Heal the divisions in our families and communities.
Let Your peace be born in our relationships. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Christ above in torment hangs,

she beneath beholds the pangs

of her dying glorious Son.

LEADER: Fifth station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Mark 15:21

LEADER: And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry His Cross.

FRIAR: Simon did not choose the Cross, but the Cross chose him.

Peace is never achieved alone.

Francis did not make peace only with the wolf.
He also made peace with the town.
He created a covenant:
“You feed the wolf, and the wolf will not harm you.”

Peace requires shared responsibility.
The wolf had to change. The people had to change.

Reconciliation only lasts when everyone participates.

We cannot ask God for peace and refuse to become its carriers. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, make us helpers in the work of peace.
Teach us to share the burden of reconciliation.
Let our parish be a community of harmony. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Is there one who would not weep,

whelmed in miseries so deep,

Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

LEADER: Sixth station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Matthew 25:40

LEADER: And the king will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me”

FRIAR: Veronica steps out of the crowd.
She cannot stop the suffering, but she chooses to show compassion.

Francis did the same with the wolf.
He did not run from it. He approached it with kindness.

Peace begins with small gestures:

a word, a look, a simple act of mercy. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, teach me to step out of indifference.
Help me show kindness where there is fear.
Make my small actions signs of peace. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Can the human heart refrain

from partaking in her pain,

in that Mother’s pain untold?

LEADER: Seventh station: Jesus Falls the Second Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Psalm 34:18

LEADER: The Lord is close to the broken-hearted

FRIAR: Jesus falls again.
The road is long, the burden is heavy.

The wolf kept returning to violence.
The town kept returning to fear.
Yet Francis did not give up on either.

Peace takes patience, Peace takes time. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, when I grow tired of forgiving, help me continue.
When peace seems slow, give me patience.
Teach me not to give up on love. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

For the sins of His own nation,

She saw Jesus wracked with torment,

All with scourges rent

LEADER: Eighth station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Luke 23:27–29

LEADER: Do not weep for Me; weep for yourselves and for your children
A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’

FRIAR: Jesus looks beyond His pain to the future of the people.

Francis looked beyond the wolf’s violence to the hunger behind it.

Peace does not only stop harm.
Peace changes hearts. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, change my heart where it feeds anger.
Teach me to nourish peace instead of fear.
Help me shape a gentler future. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

She beheld her tender Child,

Saw Him hang in desolation,

Till His spirit forth He sent.

LEADER: Nineth station: Jesus Falls the Third Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Philippians 2:8

LEADER: He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death

FRIAR: Jesus falls once more.
He is almost at the end.

Francis knew that peace is costly.
It requires humility, not pride.

Every fall reminds us: Peace is not easy, but it is worth the effort. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, when I am tempted to react with anger, humble me.
When I want to give up, strengthen me.
Help me choose peace again today. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O thou Mother! fount of love!

Touch my spirit from above,

make my heart with thine accord

LEADER: Tenth station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading John 19:23–24

FRIAR: Jesus is stripped of everything. Only love remains.

Francis stripped himself of pride and chose a life of simplicity.

Peace grows when we let go of power, of revenge, of the need to win. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, strip me of hatred and pride.
Free my heart from the need to hurt back.
Clothe me with compassion. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Make me feel as thou hast felt;

make my soul to glow and melt

with the love of Christ my Lord.

LEADER: Eleventh station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Luke 23:33–34

FRIAR: Jesus is fixed to the Cross, yet His heart remains free.

Francis bound the wolf not with chains but with trust.

Forgiveness holds peace in place. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, teach me to forgive those who hurt me.
Break the chains of resentment in my heart.
Make me a builder of reconciliation. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Holy Mother! pierce me through,

in my heart each wound renew

of my Savior crucified

LEADER: Twelfth station: Jesus Dies on the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading John 19:30

LEADER: When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, “It is finished”; and He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit

FRIAR: Jesus dies giving Himself, not taking revenge.

Francis believed that peace is born

when someone chooses love over hatred.

The Cross becomes the bridge of peace. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, let peace be born in me.
Let reconciliation begin in my life.
Make me an instrument of Your peace. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me share with thee His pain,

who for all my sins was slain,

who for me in torments died.

LEADER: Thirteen station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Matthew 27:57-58

FRIAR: The broken body is held gently.

Francis held both the people and the wolf in peace.

Peace must be cared for after the conflict ends. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, teach me to protect fragile peace.
Help me heal what has been wounded.
Make me gentle in love. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,

be Thy Mother my defense,

be Thy Cross my victory;

LEADER: Fourteen station: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Reading Matthew 27:59-60

FRIAR: Everything becomes silent.
Peace waits in hope.

Francis trusted that God could turn fear into brotherhood

and death into new life. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord, plant peace in my silence.
Grow hope in my waiting.
Make me a witness of Your peace. Amen

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

While my body here decays,

may my soul Thy goodness praise,

Safe in Paradise with Thee.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: Lord Jesus Christ,
we have walked with You on the way of the Cross
and seen how peace is born through love, forgiveness, and humility.

Teach us to see not enemies, but wounded brothers and sisters.
Transform our fear into compassion,
and make our lives bridges of reconciliation in a divided world.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

FRIAR: This season of Lent, we would like to join our Holy Father in his prayer intention.

For Disarmament and Peace

Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.

One Our Father
One Hail Mary
One Glory Be

Blessing
Final Hymn

Stations: San Damiano Cross

Entrance Hymn: Return to God

STATIONS OF THE CROSS
“Lord, Rebuild Your Church”
Franciscan Reflection on Peace through the San Damiano Cross

INTRODUCTION

FRIAR: Sisters and brothers, welcome!

As we begin, let us remember that the Stations of the Cross are not only a remembrance of suffering, but a journey of love. As we walk with Jesus to Calvary, we will reflect on His Passion through the eyes of Francis of Assisi, contemplating Christ on the San Damiano Cross, and listening again to His call: “Rebuild My Church.”

May this prayer help us see Christ more clearly, love Him more deeply,

and follow Him more faithfully.

FRIAR: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Opening Prayer

FRIAR and All:

Lord Jesus Christ,
You walked the road of suffering to rebuild what sin had broken.
When Francis of Assisi prayed before the San Damiano Cross,

he heard Your voice:
“Francis, rebuild My Church.” As we walk these Stations today, open our hearts to see Your suffering to recognize our place in Your mission,
and to become instruments of renewal in Your Church and in the world. Amen.

LEADER: First station: Jesus is Condemned to Death

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Mark 15:14)

LEADER: Pilate said to them, “What evil has he done?”

But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!”

Reflection

FRIAR: Jesus stands silent before injustice.

The crowd rejects Him, and Pilate gives in to fear.

When St Francis of Assisi gazed upon the San Damiano Cross,

he saw not a defeated Christ, but a Christ who reigns even from the Cross. Francis realized that the suffering Christ is still speaking to His Church.

Christ today is still judged and rejected whenever truth is ignored, when faith is mocked, when love is replaced by convenience.

The Church that Jesus asks us to rebuild is not built with stones alone. It is rebuilt whenever we stand with Christ instead of the crowd.

To follow Christ means courage. Courage to choose truth when it is easier to stay silent. Today Jesus looks at us and asks: Will you stand with Me? Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, condemned though innocent,
give us courage to stand for truth.
Help us rebuild Your Church through faithfulness and love.

Please Stand

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

AT, the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.

LEADER: Second station: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (John 19:17)

LEADER: So they took Jesus, and He went out, bearing His own Cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.

FRIAR: Jesus does not run from the Cross. He embraces it.

Francis once heard Christ say, “Rebuild My Church.”

At first, he literally rebuilt a small chapel stone by stone.

Later he realized Christ was asking something greater: to rebuild hearts.

The Cross is never easy. Yet it is the path that transforms the world.

When Francis embraced poverty and simplicity, people thought he was foolish. Yet his radical love renewed the Church of his time.

Each of us carries crosses: struggles, responsibilities, sacrifices for family, ministry, and faith.

But every cross carried with Christ becomes part of rebuilding His Church. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, who carried the Cross with love,
teach us to carry our crosses with faith.
Through our sacrifices, help us rebuild Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.

LEADER: Third station: Jesus Falls the First Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Isaiah 53:3)

LEADER: He was despised and rejected… a man of suffering.

FRIAR: The weight of the Cross crushes Jesus to the ground.

Francis understood weakness.

Before his conversion he pursued wealth and glory, but he discovered that true strength is found in humility.

When we fall through sin, discouragement, or failure, we often feel ashamed.

Yet Christ falls with us.

The Son of God enters our weakness so that we never fall alone.

The San Damiano Cross shows Christ with open eyes, alive even in suffering. It reminds us that even in weakness, God is still at work.

The Church is rebuilt not by perfect people,

but by people who rise again with grace. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, when we fall, lift us up.
Help us trust Your mercy more than our weakness.
Make us instruments of renewal in Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother, highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One.

LEADER: Fourth station: Jesus Meets His Mother

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Luke 2:34-35)

FRIAR: In the crowd stands Mary.

She cannot stop the suffering, but she remains with her Son.

Francis loved the Mother of Jesus deeply.

He saw in Mary the perfect disciple: One who listens, trusts, and stays faithful even in suffering.

The San Damiano Cross shows witnesses around Jesus, reminding us that faith is never lived alone.

Mary teaches us how to rebuild the Church: By presence, compassion, and faithfulness.

Often rebuilding the Church begins with something simple: Standing with someone who suffers.

Like Mary, we are called to remain near the Cross, even when we cannot fix everything. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, through the love of Your Mother,
teach us to remain faithful in suffering.
May our compassion rebuild Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord:

LEADER: Fifth station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Mark 15:21)

LEADER: And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry His Cross.

FRIAR: Simon did not volunteer. He was forced.

Yet in helping Jesus carry the Cross, Simon unknowingly participates in the work of salvation.

Francis believed that rebuilding the Church requires community.

No one carries the Cross alone.

Sometimes God invites us to help others in unexpected ways:

Supporting the weak, encouraging the discouraged, serving quietly.

Each act of love becomes a stone in rebuilding Christ’s Church.

When we help someone carry their burden,

we are helping Christ Himself. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, teach us to help one another.
Make us generous in service and compassion.
Through our love, help us to rebuild Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother's pain untold?

LEADER: Sixth station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Psalm 67:1)

LEADER: Lord, let Your face shine upon us.

FRIAR: Veronica steps forward with courage and tenderness.

Francis longed to contemplate the face of Christ.

Prayer, for him, was not simply words.

It was a loving gaze upon Jesus.

The San Damiano Cross shows Christ looking directly at us.

His face is alive, calling us into relationship.

Veronica reminds us that love does not need to be dramatic.

Even small acts of kindness reveal the face of Christ.

When we comfort the suffering, forgive someone,

or show compassion, the face of Christ becomes visible again in the world. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, help us recognize Your face in others.
Give us hearts that respond with compassion.
Through our kindness, help us rebuild Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
she beheld her tender Child
All with bloody scourges rent:

LEADER: Seventh station: Jesus Falls the Second Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Proverbs 24:16)

LEADER: Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.
(Proverbs 24:16)

FRIAR: Jesus falls again under the Cross.

Francis knew that discipleship is not easy.

Even after conversion, the journey requires perseverance.

Many saints struggled, doubted, and failed before growing in holiness.

Christ falling again reminds us that perseverance matters more than perfection.

The Church is rebuilt by people who keep getting up, people who keep loving, keep forgiving, keep believing. Grace always gives us another beginning. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, give us perseverance in faith.
When we are tired or discouraged, strengthen us.
Help us rebuild Your Church through faithful endurance.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live:

LEADER: Eighth station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Luke 23:27-29)

LEADER: For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’

FRIAR: Even in suffering, Jesus thinks of others.

Francis believed that conversion begins in the heart.

Rebuilding the Church requires personal transformation.

Jesus invites the women, and us, to look honestly at our lives.

The San Damiano Cross shows Christ surrounded by witnesses, reminding us that our faith affects the world around us.

When we turn away from sin and turn toward love, the Church begins to be renewed. Conversion is the first step in rebuilding God’s Church. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, give us hearts open to conversion.
Help us turn away from sin and choose love.
Renew Your Church through our transformed lives.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?

LEADER: Nineth station: Jesus Falls the Third Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (2 Corinthians 12:9)

LEADER: My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.

FRIAR: Jesus falls again, exhausted and broken.

Francis believed that humility is the doorway to grace.

When we admit our weakness, God’s strength can enter.

The Cross teaches us that God works through weakness, not through worldly power.

Many times we feel powerless in the face of problems in the Church or the world. But holiness; lived faithfully in daily life,

has the power to renew everything.

Christ rises again, and His mission continues. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, in our weakness be our strength.
Teach us humility and trust.
Through our faith, help us rebuild Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ my Lord.

LEADER: Tenth station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (John 19:23-24)

LEADER: “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be”. This was to fulfil the Scripture, “They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots”

FRIAR: Jesus is stripped of everything.

Francis embraced radical poverty, giving up wealth and status to follow Christ freely. He believed that the Church must always return to simplicity and trust in God.

The Cross reveals a love that holds nothing back.

When we let go of pride, selfishness, and attachment to power,

we make space for God’s grace.

The Church is renewed when hearts become simple again. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, free us from selfishness and pride.
Teach us simplicity of heart.
Through our humility, help us rebuild Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me share with thee His pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.

LEADER: Eleventh station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Luke 23:33-34)

FRIAR: The nails fix Jesus to the Cross.

Francis meditated deeply on the suffering of Christ.

Near the end of his life, he even received the stigmata, sharing physically in Christ’s wounds.

For Francis, the Cross was not defeat. It was the ultimate expression of love.

The San Damiano Cross shows Christ lifted up, victorious through love. Every act of self-giving love participates in this same mystery.

Love that sacrifices transforms the world. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, nailed to the Cross for love of us,
teach us to love generously.
Through our sacrifice, help us rebuild Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
is all I ask of thee to give.

LEADER: Twelfth station: Jesus Dies on the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Luke 23:46)

LEADER: Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.

FRIAR: Jesus gives everything: His life, His breath, His spirit.

Francis contemplated this mystery with awe.

He saw in the Cross the greatest sign of God’s love for humanity.

The San Damiano Cross portrays Christ not in despair, but in divine surrender.

From the Cross flows mercy, forgiveness, and new life.

Whenever we forgive, reconcile, and love our enemies, the power of the Cross continues its work.

The Church is rebuilt wherever love conquers hatred. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, who died out of love for us,
teach us to forgive and to love deeply.
Through Your Cross, renew Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me, to my latest breath,
in my body bear the death
of that dying Son of thine.

LEADER: Thirteen station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Matthew 27:57-58)

FRIAR: The body of Jesus is placed in the arms of those who love Him.

Francis loved the humanity of Christ.

God truly entered our suffering and our death.

Those who care for the broken body of Christ today include those who serve the poor, the sick, and the forgotten.

The Church is rebuilt through mercy.

When we care for the suffering, we hold Christ in our arms. Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, help us care for those who suffer.
Make us instruments of mercy.
Through our compassion, help us rebuild Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
by Thy Mother my defense,
by Thy Cross my victory;

LEADER: Fourteen station: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Matthew 27:59-60)

FRIAR: The silence of the tomb seems like the end.

But Francis believed deeply in hope.

The Cross always leads to resurrection.

The San Damiano Cross already shows the glory of Christ, reminding us that suffering never has the final word.

The Church is always being rebuilt even in times of darkness.

Every act of faith, love, and hope prepares the way for resurrection.

Christ invites us again today: “Rebuild My Church.” Pause

Prayer: FRIAR: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, even in darkness give us hope.
Help us trust in Your victory.
Through our lives, help us rebuild Your Church.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

While my body here decays,
may my soul Thy goodness praise,
safe in paradise with Thee.

Closing Prayer

FRIAR: Let us pray.

ALL: Lord Jesus Christ,
You called St Francis before the San Damiano Cross to rebuild Your Church. As we have walked Your Way of the Cross,
renew our hearts with the same courage, humility, and love.

Make us instruments of peace, servants of the poor, and witnesses to Your Gospel. May Your Cross always guide us, until the day we share fully in Your Resurrection. Amen.

FRIAR: This season of Lent, we would like to join our Holy Father in his prayer intention.

For Disarmament and Peace

Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.

One Our Father
One Hail Mary
One Glory Be

Blessing
Final Hymn

Stations: St Francis and the Leper

Entrance Hymn: Holy Darkness

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Seeing Christ in Suffering

Franciscan Reflection on Suffering & Illness through the story of St Francis & the Leper

INTRODUCTION

FRIAR: Sisters and brothers, welcome!

Today we walk with Jesus along the Way of the Cross.
Through the eyes of St Francis of Assisi on the story of his encounter with the leper, we learn to recognize Christ present in those who suffer. May this prayer open our hearts to meet the Lord wherever pain and compassion meet.

FRIAR: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Opening Prayer

FRIAR and All:

Lord Jesus,
as we follow You along the Way of the Cross, open our hearts to understand the depth of Your love.

Through the example of St Francis, teach us to recognize Your presence in those who suffer.
May this time of prayer transform our hearts

so that we may walk with compassion, humility, and hope. Amen.

1️⃣

LEADER: First station: Jesus is Condemned to Death

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (John 19:15–16)

LEADER: Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him.”
So he handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.

Reflection

FRIAR: Jesus stands before Pilate, falsely accused and unjustly condemned. The crowd shouts loudly, and judgment is passed.

Yet Jesus remains silent, accepting the suffering placed upon Him.

St Francis of Assisi was deeply moved whenever he reflected on the humility of Christ. He often wept when meditating on how the Son of God allowed Himself to be rejected by those He came to save.

Early in his life, Francis struggled to face suffering, especially the suffering of lepers. Lepers were feared and rejected by society.

Francis himself once avoided them.

But one day he stopped, approached a leper, and embraced him. What had once seemed bitter suddenly became sweetness.

In that moment he realized that Christ was present in the suffering person before him.

At this station we see Jesus condemned like so many who are judged, rejected, or misunderstood. The Franciscan spirit invites us not to turn away from such suffering but to recognize Christ hidden within it. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, rejected and condemned,
open our hearts to those who are marginalized.
Teach us to recognize Your presence in them.

Please Stand

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

AT, the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.

2️⃣

LEADER: Second station: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (John 19:17)

LEADER: So they took Jesus, and He went out, bearing His own Cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.

Reflection

FRIAR: Jesus now takes the Cross upon His shoulders.

The wood is heavy and rough, yet He accepts it willingly.

St Francis saw the Cross not simply as suffering but as the greatest sign of God’s love.

Whenever he prayed before the crucifix, he was overwhelmed by the realization that Christ embraced the Cross freely for the salvation of the world. The encounter with the leper changed Francis forever.

What once filled him with fear became a place of grace.

By drawing near to suffering rather than running from it, he discovered the presence of Christ.

The crosses we carry in life may come in many forms: illness, disappointment, burdens within our families, or struggles within ourselves. At times we wish to avoid them.

But Jesus shows us that when suffering is carried with love and trust in God, it becomes a path that leads to deeper compassion and transformation. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, who embraced the Cross for love of us,
give us courage to carry our burdens with faith.
Help us walk beside those who carry heavy crosses.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.

3️⃣

LEADER: Third station: Jesus Falls the First Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (1 Peter 2:24)

LEADER: He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.

Reflection

FRIAR: The weight of the Cross becomes overwhelming, and Jesus falls. This moment reminds us that Jesus truly shares in our human weakness. The Son of God knows exhaustion, pain, and struggle.

St Francis understood weakness very personally.

Later in life he suffered greatly from illness.

Yet he discovered that weakness could become a place where God’s grace is revealed.

When Francis embraced the leper, he encountered someone who had fallen under the weight of illness and rejection.

Yet in that embrace he discovered Christ.

When we fall in life; through failure, sickness, discouragement, or sin, we may feel ashamed or alone.

But Christ has already fallen on this road before us.

He understands our weakness and walks beside us in it. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, who fell beneath the Cross,
lift us up when we stumble in weakness.
Help us gently lift up those who have fallen.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother, highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One.

4️⃣

LEADER: Fourth station: Jesus Meets His Mother

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Luke 2:34–35

Reflection

FRIAR: On the road to Calvary, Jesus meets His mother.

No words are recorded, yet their hearts speak deeply to one another.

Mary cannot remove the Cross from her Son, but she accompanies Him with love and courage.

St Francis had a deep devotion to Mary, seeing her as the perfect disciple who remained faithful even in suffering.

Sometimes compassion does not mean solving a problem.

It simply means being present.

Just as Mary stood beside Jesus, Francis learned to stand beside those who suffered. His embrace of the leper was an act of presence and love. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, comforted by Your mother’s presence,
teach us to accompany those who suffer.
Make us instruments of compassion.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord

5️⃣

LEADER: Fifth station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Mark 15:21)

LEADER: And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry His Cross.

Reflection

FRIAR: Simon did not expect to be involved in this moment.

He was simply passing by. Yet suddenly he is asked to carry the Cross of Christ.

Sometimes we encounter suffering unexpectedly.

A friend shares a burden. A family member becomes ill. Someone near us struggles deeply.

St Francis discovered that when we draw close to suffering, we also draw close to Christ.

Simon may have begun reluctantly, but by sharing the burden he came closer to Jesus. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, who accepted Simon’s help,
teach us to support those who struggle.
May we discover Your presence in serving others.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother's pain untold?

6️⃣

LEADER: Sixth station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Psalm 27:8)

LEADER: Your face Lord, do I seek

Reflection

FRIAR: In the middle of the shouting crowd and the soldiers pushing Jesus, one woman steps out.

Veronica does something small yet courageous: she wipes Jesus’ face

She cannot stop the suffering. She cannot remove the Cross. Yet she offers what she can: a simple act of compassion.

St Francis believed that love is shown through small gestures of mercy

His encounter with the leper began not with a grand plan, but with a simple decision to draw near instead of turning away. When Francis embraced the leper, he crossed the boundary of fear and discovered Christ present there.

Veronica does the same. She moves beyond fear, beyond the judgment of the crowd, and responds to suffering with tenderness.

Often we think compassion requires great strength or extraordinary sacrifice. Yet sometimes it begins with something simple:

listening to someone who is hurting, offering comfort, standing beside someone who feels alone.

When we dare to respond to suffering with love, even in small ways,

we reveal the face of Christ to the world. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, Your suffering face reveals Your love.
Help us recognize Your face in those who suffer.
Give us courage to respond with compassion.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
she beheld her tender Child
All with bloody scourges rent:

7️⃣

LEADER: Seventh station: Jesus Falls the Second Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Psalm 145: 14)

LEADER: The Lord sustains all who fall

Reflection

FRIAR: The journey continues, but the weight of the Cross grows heavier. Jesus falls a second time.

This fall reminds us that the road of suffering is long and exhausting. The body weakens, and even the strongest may stumble again and again.

St Francis knew that following Christ was not always easy.

His life was filled with physical hardship and illness.

Yet through these struggles he discovered a deeper closeness to the suffering Christ.

The story of Francis and the leper reminds us that transformation often begins when we are willing to face suffering honestly.

Francis did not find Christ in comfort but in the difficult encounter that challenged his fears.

Sometimes in our lives we fall more than once.

We may struggle with the same weaknesses, the same fears, the same wounds. It can be discouraging.

Yet this station reminds us that Christ understands perseverance.

He does not abandon us when we fall again.

Instead, He rises and continues the journey, showing us that faith is not about never falling, but about trusting God enough to rise again. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, when we fall again and again,
strengthen us with Your grace.
Help us rise and continue the journey with You.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live:

8️⃣

LEADER: Eighth station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture Luke 23:27–29

LEADER: For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’

Reflection

FRIAR: As Jesus struggles along the road, a group of women weep for Him. Their hearts are moved by His suffering.

Yet even in His pain, Jesus turns toward them.

He speaks not about His own suffering, but about the deeper suffering that exists in the world.

This moment reveals the compassion of Christ.

Even while carrying the Cross, His heart remains attentive to others.

St Francis learned this same compassion

when he embraced the leper.

That encounter opened his eyes to the suffering around him and transformed the way he saw the world.

Suffering has the power to close us in on ourselves.

But the love of Christ does the opposite: It opens our hearts to others.

When we encounter suffering, whether our own or someone else’s,

we are invited to grow in compassion.

Like Jesus, we are called not only to endure suffering but to allow it to deepen our love for others. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, compassionate even in suffering,
open our hearts to the pain of the world.
Teach us to respond with mercy and love.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?

9️⃣

LEADER: Nineth station: Jesus Falls the Third Time

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (2 Corinthians 12:9)

LEADER: My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.

Reflection

FRIAR: Jesus falls a third time. He is exhausted, wounded, and close to the end of His strength. This fall reminds us that human weakness is real. Even the Son of God, in His humanity, experiences the limits of the body.

St Francis often spoke about the humility of Christ.

For him, the greatness of God was revealed not through power, but through the willingness to become weak for the sake of love.

When Francis embraced the leper, he embraced someone whose body bore the marks of suffering and weakness.

Yet in that moment he discovered that God’s presence is often revealed most clearly in those who are wounded.

In our own lives, there may be moments when we feel completely overwhelmed, when strength seems to fail and hope feels distant.

Yet Christ shows us that even in the deepest weakness, God’s grace is still present. The road may be difficult, but love gives Him the strength to rise once more and continue the journey. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, when we feel weak and overwhelmed,
remind us that Your grace is enough.
Give us strength to continue the journey.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ my Lord.

1️⃣0️⃣

LEADER: Tenth station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture John 19:23–24

LEADER: “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be”. This was to fulfil the Scripture, “They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots”

Reflection

FRIAR: When Jesus arrives at Calvary, the soldiers strip Him of His garments. Before the crowd He stands exposed and humiliated.

This moment reveals the complete vulnerability of Christ.

The One who created the world now stands with nothing.

St Francis was deeply inspired by the humility and poverty of Christ.

In his own life he chose to let go of wealth and status so that he could follow Jesus more closely.

Yet this moment on Calvary reminds us that poverty is not only about material things. Jesus is stripped of dignity, comfort, and security.

He enters completely into the vulnerability of human suffering.

The encounter between Francis and the leper teaches us that Christ is often found in places where dignity seems lost:

in those who are rejected, sick, or forgotten.

When we draw close to such suffering with love and respect, we restore dignity and reveal the compassion of God. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, stripped of everything,
teach us humility and compassion.
Help us honor the dignity of every person

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me share with thee His pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.

1️⃣1️⃣

LEADER: Eleventh station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Luke 23:33-34)

Reflection

FRIAR: The soldiers nail Jesus to the Cross.

His hands and feet are pierced, and His body is lifted up for all to see.

This is the moment when suffering reaches its most painful point.

Yet even here, the love of Christ remains unbroken.

St Francis spent long hours contemplating the crucified Lord.

For him, the Cross revealed the depth of God’s love for humanity.

It showed how far God was willing to go in order to save us.

The story of Francis and the leper reminds us that love often asks us to move closer to suffering rather than away from it.

The Cross stands at the center of our faith because it reveals a love that does not abandon the world even in its darkest moments. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, crucified for love of us,
help us understand the depth of Your sacrifice.
Teach us to love with generosity and courage.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
is all I ask of thee to give.

1️⃣2️⃣

LEADER: Twelfth station: Jesus Dies on the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Luke 23:46)

LEADER: Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.

Reflection

FRIAR: After hours of suffering, Jesus breathes His last.

The Cross stands in silence as the Son of God gives His life for the world. At first glance this moment seems like defeat.

Yet within it lies the greatest victory of love.

St Francis understood that the Cross reveals the heart of God.

Christ does not respond to violence with hatred or revenge.

Instead, He responds with forgiveness and trust in the Father.

When Francis embraced the leper, he discovered that love has the power to transform what once seemed bitter into something filled with grace. The death of Jesus reminds us that suffering does not have the final word. Love does. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, through Your death You gave us life.
Strengthen our hope in Your mercy.
Lead us toward the promise of resurrection.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Let me, to my latest breath,
in my body bear the death
of that dying Son of thine.

1️⃣3️⃣

LEADER: Thirteen station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Matthew 27:57-58)

Reflection

FRIAR: The body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the arms of His mother.

This moment is filled with sorrow.

The suffering has ended, but the grief remains.

Mary holds the body of her Son, trusting in God even when she cannot yet see the future.

St Francis believed that love is revealed most clearly in moments of compassion.

Just as Mary held the broken body of Jesus with tenderness, we are called to care for those who suffer and those who grieve.

The encounter between Francis and the leper reminds us

that when we embrace the suffering of others with love,

we reveal the presence of Christ in the world. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, comfort all who mourn.
Hold the suffering close to Your heart.
Fill our grief with Your hope.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
by Thy Mother my defense,
by Thy Cross my victory;

1️⃣4️⃣

LEADER: Fourteen station: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

FRIAR: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Scripture (Matthew 27:59-60)

Reflection

FRIAR: Jesus is laid in the tomb.

The stone is rolled into place, and silence fills the garden.

To the disciples, it must have felt like everything had ended.

Hope seemed buried along with Him.

Yet the silence of the tomb is not the end of the story.

St Francis always looked at the Cross with the eyes of hope.

He believed that God’s love is stronger than suffering and stronger even than death.The journey that began with suffering will soon give way to resurrection. Pause

Prayer: Let us pray.
ALL: Lord Jesus, laid in the tomb,
help us trust in Your promise of new life.
Lead us from suffering into resurrection hope.

Stabat Mater

FRIAR and All:

While my body here decays,
may my soul Thy goodness praise,
safe in paradise with Thee.

Closing Prayer

FRIAR: Let us pray.

ALL: Lord Jesus,
as we have walked with You along the Way of the Cross, help us to recognize Your presence in all who suffer.

Through the example of St Francis, give us hearts that do not turn away from pain, but respond with compassion, humility, and love.

May the Cross we have contemplated today lead us always to the hope and joy of Your Resurrection. Amen.

FRIAR: This season of Lent, we would like to join our Holy Father in his prayer intention.

For Disarmament and Peace

Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.

One Our Father
One Hail Mary
One Glory Be

Blessing
Final Hymn

Stations: Care for Creation

Stations of the Cross 20Feb2026.pdf

Stations: Dignity of Women

Stations - Francis and the Dignity of Women.pdf

Stations Wolf of Gubbio

Stations: Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio

Stations: San Damiano Cross

Stations - San Damiano Cross.pdf

Stations: St Francis & the Leper

STATIONS - ST FRANCIS AND THE LEPER.pdf

Stations: Transitus of St Francis

Stations - Transitus.pdf

Stations: St. Mary's 2

St. Mary's Stations 2.pdf

Short Stations

Stations of the Cross.pdf

Scriptural Stations

Scriptional Stations.pdf

Stations: Let by Pope Francis

STATIONS OF THE CROSS.pdf

Lent and Easter Booklet: 2026

Lent-to-Easter-2026-E.pdf

Lent with Padre Pio

40 DAYS WITH PADRE PIO.pdf

Lent with St. Anthony

40 DAYS WITH ST ANTHONY.pdf

Lent with St. Matthew

40 Days to Peace.pdf

Peace & Union with God

40-Days-to-Peace-and-Union-with-God-Lenten-Prayer-Challenge.pdf

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