St. Isidore Parish
The Outdoor Stations of the Cross
In the summer of 2011 our parish community erected Stations of the Cross outside and on our parish grounds. Parishioners are encouraged to pray the Stations as individuals and in groups in recognition and meditation upon the Passion of Christ. The "Outdoor" Stations is also a great opportunity to explain and evangelize to our children.
Below is a video slideshow of these stations and also a recognition of the many parishioners and ministries that have provided this Holy Spirit Opportunity for our families and community. Enjoy.
The background music is the Stabat Mater. You are welcome to meditate upon these words as you view the video.
Latin Text |
English Version: |
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Stabat mater dolorosa |
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At the cross her station keeping, |
Spiritual Meaning
Stabat Mater is the title of a thirteenth-century Latin hymn and it means "the Mother was standing." In Latin, the hymn consists of twenty couplets which describe the Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin at the Cross.
Christians of the twentieth century can truly identify with Our Lady's experience of Sorrow. The message of the Stabat Mater focuses on the spiritual and emotional bond which unites Mary and all Christians to the death of her Son on the Cross. From this bond, each Christian can recognize the incredible compassion and holiness in Mary's character. The Blessed Mother demonstrated her maternal compassion to all generations of Christians by her presence and participation with her Son Jesus in the Sacrifice of the Cross.
There is a mother-son bond that unites Mary with Christ Jesus during his experience of suffering and death. This empathetic bond indicates that Our Lady shared in her Son's suffering. Mary is Our Lady of Sorrows precisely because her Son Christ Jesus bore the sins of the world during his passion and death. As the faithful disciple, Our Blessed Mother invites us to unite our personal suffering with her own. We can share in Jesus' burden on the Cross, just as Mary did at Calvary.
As Our Lady of Sorrows, Mary also reminds us that Christians are called to expiate for their own sins and the sins of their neighbors, and the sins of the world. We can share in the bond between the Blessed Mother and Our Lord through fasting, prayer, and contrition for sin. Our Lady of Sorrows teaches us that the Crown of eternal life in Heaven can be reached when we each choose to share with Our Lord in His suffering and death on the Cross at Calvary.
The compassion of Mary is part of the mystery of the Church community's sharing in, and offering, the Sacrifice of Jesus for the salvation of the world. Each member of the Church has a role to play in redeeming the world. Our Lady of Sorrows is a guide who inspires and teaches us how to be compassionate.
The background information and music is provided courtesy of:
Fish Eaters, Lyrics and Melodies of Traditional Catholic Hymns
University of Dayton, 1999
The Catholic Mass Revealed
You are also invited to visit our
other pages on the Way of the Cross:
*The Lenten Friday Stations of the Cross.
*"Mary's Way of the Cross."
*A "living" pictorial presentation of the Stations by
our youth ministry, portraying the fourteen stations.