Christ the King Church The Stations of the Cross for Children By Francine O’Connor (Liguori Publications) Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament (All kneel when the tabernacle doors are opened) Hymn: O Salutaris Hostia/O Saving Victim O Saving Victim, open wide O Salutaris Hostia The gate of heav’n to us below Quae caeli pandis ostium: Our foes press on from ev’ry side; Bella premunt hostilia, Your aid supply, Your strength Da robur fer auxilium. bestow. To Your great Name be endless Uni trinoque Domino praise, Sit sempiterna gloria, Immortal Godhead, One in Three; Qui vitam sine termino Property of Christ the King Church O grant us endless length of days Nobis donet in patria. Please return this booklet when finished with it. In our true native land with thee. Amen. Amen. 20 Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Divine Praises + Holy Spirit. People: Amen. Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name. Leader: As we prepare to walk with Jesus on the way to Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Calvary, let us first acknowledge our sins. (All pause briefly in Blessed be the name of Jesus. prayerful recollection) Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart. Blessed be His Most Precious Blood. All: I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. (Striking their chest) Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception. through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous Blessed be her glorious Assumption. fault; Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. (They continue) Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse. therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints. Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. (When the Blessed Sacrament is reposed in the tabernacle, all stand and sing together) Leader: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Hymn: Holy God, We Praise Thy Name People: Amen. Holy God, we praise Thy name; Leader: Let us pray. Lord of all, we bow before Thee; All: Loving God, ● Your Son Jesus showed His great love for us All on earth Thy scepter claim, ● by making the long, slow journey to His death. ● Because of All in heaven above adore Thee. His suffering and death, we have been freed from our sins. ● Infinite Thy vast domain, Because of His suffering and death, we are promised a place Everlasting is Thy reign! with You in Heaven. ● We unite ourselves to Him now ● by following in His footsteps along this Way of the Cross. ● In Hark, the loud celestial hymn; doing this, may we learn to follow His way of love ● in all that Angel choirs above are raising; we do. ● We ask this, dear God, ● in the name of your Son, Cherubim and Seraphim, Jesus, ● who lived and died for us. Amen. In unceasing chorus praising, Fill the heavens with sweet accord: Hymn (To the melody of Stabat Mater Dolorosa) Holy, holy, holy, Lord! 2 19 Rite of Benediction (All stand and sing together) Jesus, Lord, condemned, May we feel no bitter hatred, Hymn: Down in Adoration Falling/ defiled, When we too are persecuted, Tantum Ergo Sacramentum May we too be meek and mild Left alone to walk with You. Down in adoration falling, Tantum ergo Sacramentum As we tread Your holy Way. This great Sacrament we hail; Veneremur cernui: Over ancient forms of worship Et antiquum documentum The First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Die Newer rites of grace prevail; Novo cedat ritui: Faith will tell us Christ is Praestet fides supplementum Leader: We adore You, O Christ, present, Sensuum defectui. and we bless You. When our human senses fail. People: (All genuflect on their right knee and say) To the everlasting Father, Genitori, Genitoque Because by Your Holy Cross You And the Son who made us Laus et jubilatio, have redeemed the world. free, Salus, honor, virtus quoque (All stand) And the Spirit, God Sit et benedictio: proceeding Procedenti ab utroque Reader/Leader: Jesus’ trial is over. Pilate can find nothing bad From them Each eternally, Compar sit laudatio. in Jesus’ actions. Pilate asks the people, “Shall I crucify your Be salvation, honor, blessing, Amen. king?” They reply, “We have no king but Caesar.” In the end, Might and endless majesty. Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified. (Pause) Amen. Leader: He was led away Presider: You have given them Bread from heaven. People: like a sheep to be slaughtered. People: Having within it all Sweetness. All: (All kneel) “It isn’t fair!” we want to cry ● When Jesus is Presider: Let us pray. O God, who in this wonderful Sacra- condemned to die. ● Jesus, make us strong like You ● When ment have left us a memorial of Your Passion, grant us, we blamed for things we didn’t do. pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of All: Hail Mary, full of Grace… Your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Fa- ther in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. (All stand and sing together) People: Amen. Now the Cross as Jesus bore it, has become for us who share it, the jeweled Cross of Victory. 18 3 The Second Station: Plenary Indulgence Prayers Jesus Carries His Cross (All kneel) Leader: To obtain the graces of a plenary indulgence we pray Leader: We adore You, now for the intentions and wellbeing of our Holy Father. O Christ, and we bless You. Leader: Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy People: (All genuflect on name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in their right knee and say) heaven. Because by Your Holy People: Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our Cross You have trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and redeemed the world. lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. (All stand) Leader: Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy Reader/Leader: Just see what a heavy Cross Jesus is asked to womb, Jesus. carry. Think about the long way He has to go to reach the hill People: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now of Calvary. Oh how great is Jesus’ love to suffer so much just and at the hour of our death. Amen. for us. (Pause) Leader: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Leader: Deny yourself, take up your cross, Spirit; People: and come, follow me. People: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. All: (All kneel) Worries, illness, problems, cares ● are crosses we are asked to bear. ● By Your Cross You lead the way ● and Concluding Prayer give us strength to face each day. Leader: Let us pray. All: Hail Mary, full of Grace… All: Loving God, ● soon we will celebrate the joy that Jesus won for us ● by His suffering and death. ● Let us not leave this (All stand and sing together) journey in tears ● but in rejoicing and thanksgiving. ● Let us not leave Jesus in the darkness of the tomb ● but remember Weakened, prodded, cursed, and fallen, the wonder that follows. ● May our lives reflect the same His whole body bruised and swollen, unselfish love ● that Jesus showed for us. ● We thank You for Jesus stripped and lay in pain. the lesson of this journey ● and especially for giving us Your only Son. ● May He live in our hearts and our lives forever. ● Amen. 4 17 The Fourteenth The Third Station: Station: Jesus Falls Jesus is Laid the First Time in the Tomb Leader: We adore You, Leader: We adore You, O O Christ, and we bless Christ, and we bless You. You. People: (All genuflect on People: (All genuflect their right knee and say) on their right knee and Because by Your Holy say) Because by Your Cross You have Holy Cross You have redeemed the world. redeemed the world. (All stand) (All stand) Reader/Leader: Now the friends of Jesus lay His body in the Reader/Leader: Jesus has been badly beaten, and He is very tomb. They are sad, remembering the teachings and the good weak. He falls to his knees under the great weight of the works of their Lord. “How will we manage without Him?” they Cross. (Pause) wonder. It is a sad time for all God’s people. (Pause) Leader: We are buried together Leader: And the Lord hath laid upon Him People: with Him by Baptism. People: the iniquity of us all. All: (All kneel) What looks like the end is just the beginning. ● All: (All kneel) It makes us sad to have to see ● the Son of By dying for us, new life You were winning. ● Thank You, God down on His knees. ● Dear Jesus, help us start anew ● Jesus, for all You’ve done.