Stations of the Cross

One of my goals for this Lent was to introduce G and Will to the Stations of the Cross. Praying through the Stations is a favorite Lenten activity of mine, and one of the riches of the Church that I want to pass on to them. It can be tricky to explain the way of the cross and the crucifixion to young children, so I thought I’d share a bit about how we’ve been doing it and some of the resources we are using this year.

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First, both kids are familiar with the story of Jesus’ death. G loves all the gory bits of the Bible, so it is a story we read often. I’ve loved the Catholic Picture Bible, which doesn’t shy away from the violence but also doesn’t describe it all in excessive detail. For us, it’s a happy medium.

G and I have been using the Stations of the Cross 3 Part Cards I created together, to help her learn the names and the order of events. As we look at each card together, we talk about what she notices in each picture, how Jesus might be feeling, and what she might have felt if she was there in the crowd.

I also printed out the Stations of the Cross coloring pages from St. John the Baptist and made each kid a coloring book. Coloring is G’s current favorite activity and always provides an opportunity for conversation with her. She loves to chat while she colors, so if I can give her a faith-based page that reinforces what I’m aiming to teach her, it’s a big win.

I’d like to take the kids to St. Paul’s as a family and pray through the stations together using the booklet I wrote for them too. I want them to experience praying them in the church, but I’m not sure that they will be able to make it through the parish ones, which don’t start til 7pm. So far we haven’t made that happen yet, but I’m still hopeful!