Were YOU There?

By Sister Rita Wenzlick, OP, Director, Office of Pastoral Planning, Diocese of Lansing

A few years ago, when now-retired Monsignor Richard Groshek was pastor of St. Pius X Parish in Flint, he wanted to rekindle fervor for the Way of the Cross as a Lenten devotion.

"I was looking for ways to more actively engage those attending," he recalls. "There were no young people involved at all. I assigned several of the parish staff to lead or conduct one or two of the Lenten Way of the Cross services. The resulting improvements included a variation of the Taize form of the devotion as well as the 'family' Way of the Cross pursued by Cindee McColley, Director of Religious Education."

Cindee had collected various writings on the stations from magazines over the years. Upon researching her files, the inspiration to begin developing a Family Stations of the Cross came to her.

In 2005, stations for children were celebrated in the presence of families and friends. This experience resulted in conversation with the larger community. Lauren Smith, an 18-year-old student at Mott Community College in Flint, attended the event. She was impressed by how the seventh and eighth graders prayed a station and followed together. Lauren's friend, Andy, carried the cross. As the youth progressed through the stations, Cindee read the story of the "Three Trees". Lauren commented that the story made more of an impact that evening as she knows the story but saw it in a very different light. This experience resulted in Lauren's family participating in the Family stations the following year.

In 2006, families of Religious Education students were invited to choose a station from the 14 traditional stations and depict the meaning of that station for the family in some kind of artistic drawing. On the appointed night, families gathered and with music in the background -- several different music artists compositions were used -- the cross displayed and 14 stations individually identified with a lighted candle, each family presented in the traditional order the station it had chosen. The family described the meaning of the station through the picture it had prepared. Following the presentation, the picture was displayed in the appropriate place and the lighted candle was extinguished. When all of the 14 stations were presented, Cindee spoke to the assembly about the paschal event of our lives.  Lauren's family prepared one of the stations. In doing so, she and her family members experienced deeper focus and more interest not only in the station which they presented, but in each of the other stations as well. She believes it helped her faith and that of her family grow. They prepared the presentation of their station together. She believes that doing this has helped her family realize the real sacrifice of Jesus more fully and believes the Stations of the Cross became more real and precious to them.

Family Stations of the Cross is a seasonal experience held once a year at St. Pius X Parish. Monsignor Groshek is encouraged by the results and calls them "a vast improvement on what we had been doing."

Last year, another "creative" approach was used when each station became a live re-enactment of one of the 14 stations and the 15th station, the Resurrection, was added. Imagine live depictions of… Jesus being scourged… Jesus meeting the women of Jerusalem… Veronica wiping the face of Jesus… Jesus being stripped of his garments… the crucifixion and the taking down from the cross. Wow! What an impact on the impressionable minds of the children and the depth of meaning for the parents who had taken part. The assembly participants were indeed moved by the experience.

The Silva Family (parishioners) presented the 11th station "Jesus is Nailed to the Cross". After family reflection, they agreed that this station was about sacrifice for the people one loves -- a beautiful station rather than a tragic one. Mr. Silva recalls, "The cross was built sturdy like Jesus' faith in His Father. It held Him high so He could see all of the people He loved so much. We felt that the tarnished stakes which bound Him solidly to the cross would be polished smooth by His blood as a sign to all that they too would be renewed through His Blood. We used the white baptism stole decorated by our children and their mother to represent the Lord's pure love of His children united in faith. A cross necklace accompanied the baptismal stole." The cross had been given to Mr. Silva when his father passed away. It looked simply profound!

The 15th station was led by the Green family (Tom, Sharon, Emily and Tom's mother who asked to join them) They relit the candles before leaving and Emily, the daughter carried out the cross. The church was dark and then the lights were turned on to emphasize the Resurrection and light of Christ!

When the Green Family was asked to participate in the Family Stations of the Cross, its members thought it was great to have an event that revolved around church and faith in which their family could participate. Here is how one family member described the experience:

"It was very special on that day to see all the families together and to see what they did when it was their turn to present the station they had chosen. Everyone did a wonderful job and they showed what their faith meant to them. We would love to be included in something like this again because it truly made us work together to see what ideas we had about our faith and how we could actually come up with something to share with everyone else. We still talk about that special time and what it meant to us."

The impact was even a topic of conversation in the Green workplace. One of the employees there spoke excitedly about the wonderful experience at the family stations the previous Friday.

(Note: This experience is another effective way to catechize families as well as the whole community, a concept that was previously highlighted in the January, 2007, Share the Wealth article "All Are Welcome ... Whole Community Catechesis." The article describes the FIRE program at St. Mary Parish, Flint, and Summer Evenings at the Lake from St. Mary Parish, Manitou Beach.)

Cindee is planning a fourth event during Lent 2008. She plans to use the Stations of the Cross Large Holy Card from Barton Cotton. On the front of the card is a picture of each station and on the back is a brief description of the station. Families will be asked to either draw their station or provide an object that represents their station. St. Pius X Church invested in a large screen and projector. The picture of the station will be projected along with the brief description so all can see.

According to Cindee, "Families can also use the stations card in their daily prayer together as I do. I love its simplicity. The card is easy to use. You can carry it your Bible, or purse. You can pass it around in your vehicle on a road trip or set it on the kitchen table. Praying with the Stations of the Cross card takes little time and is perfect for busy families. I believe they will receive so much more… a stronger faith from the time spent together talking about what Jesus did for them and a connection to their faith community at St. Pius X."

Cindee has goals for the Family Stations of the Cross:
1. Families working together in a faith atmosphere, expressing their thoughts, creativity and ideas; and
2. Families remembering their participation in the Stations of the Cross at their church, St. Pius X.

Cindee concludes, "I expect this faith adventure will be remembered and talked about often. Hmm, families talking about their faith, mission accomplished! Lent is often the time we try to fix or add things in our lives such as a prayer time. As Catholics we are called to love, to pray, to serve and to evangelize! This Lenten season, keep the journey going. Just remember: Emmanuel, God with us; with you, with your family, with me! It is not an easy road, nor was it meant to be. God bless you on your family’s adventurous journey!"

---

Contact information:

Cindee McColley
Director of Religious Education
Saint Pius X Parish
G-3139 Hogarth Avenue
Flint, MI 48532-5129
810-235-8573