Stations of the Cross - St. Margaret of Scotland

Happy Feast of St. Joseph!

Tonight (3/19/10) I attended Stations of the Cross at St. Margaret of Scotland.  The focus of Stations tonight was social justice (Normally, I try not to link to wikipedia, but Mark claims he wrote it so...).  According to Father James Martin SJ (as seen on The Colbert Report 3/18) social justice in addition to helping the poor and such also aims to look at the root causes of why the poor are poor.  Normally, I'm not a big proponent of social justice since it gets misunderstood and misapplied practically every time it is mentioned, but Glenn Beck is apparently throwing a nutty over social justice and suggests that Catholics leave their parish or even the Church over it.  Of course, being the contrary person I am, I did the exact opposite!

When I went to Stations of the Cross at St. Paul, there was a definite structure.  That structure was lacking. First of all there was no aerobics in the pew as we stood the entire time.  There was a reflection, a prayer and we sang a verse.  The reflection tied the Station to some social justice issue.  Then we said a prayer that prayed for the social justice issue and how it related to the Station.  We then sang the corresponding verse from The Way of the Cross, set to the tune of Were you There with the lyrics being nearly the same but more Station-y.

The Stations were the traditional Stations of the Cross but orientated toward social justice concerns.  They were (as near as I can determine):

1. Victims of Friendly Fire
2. Those who are overburdened and Those who fear
3. The Starving, especially the weak
4. Mother whose children have died
5. Soldiers (esp those fighting for peace and the right cause...)
6. Women who tend/care/serve  (Men apparently don't count)
7. Those who stand up for a cause
8. Those who grieve
9. Those who despair
10. Oppressed People (mentioned the humiliation of sanctions)
11. Those who are tortured/abused
12. Those who have died and the unborn (thinks this was referring to abortion)
13. Those who have lost/mourn
14. Those who mourn
15. For those whose Faith is tested

An example prayer from Station 9:  Jesus Falls the Third Time:

Lord, you know the depths of utter fatigue- the sense of utter failure.  Infuse your love and hope into the hearts of those despair of beginning again -for whom future happiness is glimpsed only through the awareness of pain yet to come.  Help us too to believe that we can make a difference - when all seems darkness - despair- and repeated failure.

I was really worried (thanks to the Internets) that this would be way out there.  It wasn't bad at all.  I could see it being okay as a sometime thing at a parish, but I think all the time might be a bit much.  I was worried that it wouldn't be tied to the traditional stations at all, but it was.  I may not agree with the wording and how they tied the station to the social justice issue, but overall I thought it was okay.  I did notice men who showed service or compassion weren't included, nor were the sick, but they might be under the general heading of those suffering or those mourning/grieving.  I also noticed there was an undercurrent of *for the right cause or reason*.  Like praying for soldiers who defend the weak and keep the peace...

The Stations were attended by about 30 people of various cultures and ages.  St. Margaret of Scotland is a beautiful church.  It is square shaped and still has the original statues and things.

Pictures:

St. Margaret of Scotland

Exterior

View from the Back Pew!

Guardian Angel Statue

I have to say this is a first.  

I don't think I've ever seen a guardian angel statue in a Church. :)

Altar of St. Joseph

His death is in the mosaic.

St. Margaret of Scotland

The Eighth Station:  Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

Lantern by a devotional area

Window Detail of the Holy Spirit

Window

Not sure exactly what is being pictured.

Above the Entrance to the Choir Loft

Different symbols on the door windows.

St. Margaret of Scotland Window

(I think...it could be Mary...)

This window shows the Consecration at a pre-Vatican II Mass.

Note the people in Hell or Purgatory at the bottom.

This was in a little side chapel.

Above the door it said it was a children's chapel.

I can't imagine it was originally a children's chapel...

it's an odd window choice for a children's chapel.

Links:
St. Margaret of Scotland Website
Pictures from Rome of the West

Stations of the Cross - St. Paul, Fenton

Good evening.
Since I was conveniently at St. Paul in Fenton for a fish fry, I thought I'd stick around for Stations of the Cross.  I thought this week was musical stations, but I misread the bulletin.  Apparently, musical stations is every other week.  This week was just Stations of the Cross lead by Father.

St. Paul was built in 1983 and is of a modern design.  The stained glass is chunky similar to the stained glass at Seven Holy Founders.  St. Paul's shape is loosely based on a pentagon, with the pews fanned out around Sanctuary.  The grounds had some really nice landscaping.

I haven't been to Stations of the Cross since 1991, the last time I served them at St. Boniface, a year after I graduated.  I vaguely remember the Deacon or Father saying a blurb and then we all sang the appropriate verse from Stabat Mater.  This was then followed by Benediction.  Since I was busy carrying the processional cross, I don't remember the genuflecting, standing, kneeling, standing, repeat for 14 stations.

From what I remember, there were 14 Stations, starting with Jesus being condemned and ending with Jesus being laid in the Tomb.  The stations tonight were introduced by Pope John Paul II in 1991 and there are 15 Stations based on Gospel passages from the Passion.  These stations start with The Agony in the Garden and end with Jesus is Risen.  The little book we followed was "The Stations of the Cross with Pope John Paul II" by Joseph M. Champlin.  The different Stations are listed here and the Gospel passages are here.   For those of you who are more traditionally minded, the original stations are here.  Some history of the Stations is given by the Catholic Encyclopedia (note:  the online version is from 1912..the regulations listed at the end of the article may or may not still be accurate in certain aspects)

Now, I'm all for liturgical innovations (Bless me Father for I have sinned...), however, every single church I have been in have had the 14 original Stations of the Cross.  It seems rather silly to be walking or praying in front of Stations that don't match the new version.

Basically this is how Stations went tonight:
Father:  We Adore You O Christ and We Praise You
(genuflect)
Us:  Because by Your Holy Cross You Have saved the world
Gospel reading for the Station
(kneel)
Reflection on the Gospel reading
Us:  A snippet of a psalm, either: 6, 130, 32, 38, 51, 22 or 62 (mostly the Penitential Psalms)

Tonight Father skipped Station 15.  After Stations, we prayed for the Pope's intentions, said an Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and a prayer for a restful night and a peaceful death.  Father then announced we should all go to Confession within the next week or so, so that we could get a Plenary Indulgence for ourselves or someone who has died.  I have to say this was the first time since I've started this little adventure that I've heard this.  What would have been nice if Father had stuck around to have Confession.  It's a little difficult to get to Confession when it is held before Saturday Vigil Mass for 15-30 minutes in nearly every single parish in the Archdiocese.

Pictures:

Window from the outside

The one on the left is a crown over a cross.

The one on the right is the Holy Spirit pooping fire.

Another Exterior Shot

Window and the Holy Family

A little garden outside the Church

I think it is St. Francis of Assisi...

I have to say, these are the awesomest doors.

View from the Back Pew.

Hey, it's the old Busch Stadium...

It's a tear drop above the altar.

God's crying.  I'll take bets on what...

(architecture, bored to tears over the homily, the possibilities are endless..hey He

could be crying over my snarky comments...uhm.  Oh dear. tears of mirth I'm sure)

Behind the ambo is the baptismal font, which is draped with purple fabric.

It's a desert garden next to the altar.

Maybe God's allergic to cacti and that's why He's crying.

FYI:  There was Holy Water in the Holy Water things.

St. Paul and Infant Jesus of Prague

Station of the Cross

Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem 

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, St. Louis IX and St. Vincent de Paul

Patrons of St. Louis

Mary and the Infant Jesus Window

in the cry room.

MOCRA Good Friday Exhibit

Hello all.  Welcome to a special edition of View From the Back Pew.  I've been meaning to go to real Stations of the Cross, but am having a hard time with logistics.

However, St. Louis University (SLU), happens to have a Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA).  The MOCRA used to be the Fusz Chapel for Jesuit scholastics studying at SLU.

Spire outside MOCRA

The original mosaic on the Sanctuary wall is still there but blocked by a large contemporary piece of art.  The stained glass windows are all still in the chapel.  The upper windows which display episodes from the Hebrew Scriptures and their corresponding parts in the New Testament are covered by heavy drapes.  The windows that were in every side chapel are walled off.

Altar in side Chapel.

10 of the 12 altars are still in place.

The current exhibit is Good Friday:  The Suffering of Christ in Contemporary Art. The exhibit is based on the Stations of the Cross, but instead of 14 (or 15) Stations, the artworks are broken into 6 episodes:

1. Agony in the Garden
2. The Trial
3. Veronica and Her Veil
4. Crucifixion
5. Pietá
6. Burial

I think I took pictures of the artwork in all episodes, although I may have some in the wrong episode.   The museum created a booklet with reflections and meditations to reflect upon the Scriptures and the Art.  I thought this would be a meaningful way to experience the Stations of the Cross and more current views of them.

Agony in the Garden

Cup by Thomas Skomski

My sister saw this picture and asked why I was taking pictures

of animal traps.

Trial

Crowning with Thorns by Michael David

The note on the wall said this resembled a rosary...

Veronica and Her Veil

I think this is 

 No. 58 C'est par ses meurtrisures que nous sommes guéris

And with his stripes we are healed

by 

Georges Rouault

Crucifixion

Morpheus 1 by

Jim Morphesis

Zombie....

11th, 12th, and 13th Stations of the Cross for Latin America

La Pasíon 

by 

Michael Tracy

This artwork takes up nearly the entire back wall and I think it is 

more or less a permanent display.

I don't get it.

On the 11th station there are nails fixed on the board.

I can't find this in the booklet.

Some wood, some nails, some art.

Icon Wall by Craig Antrim

These paintings were on 3 different walls.

This was my favorite work of the entire exhibit.

Maybe because I *got it*

This was my favorite cross in the work above.

Not sure the name of this either.

I rather like it.

Except for the eyes.  They creep me out.

This might be the work by Dalí

They call me Mellow Yellow....

Pietá

Crucifixion - Haiti

Sister Helen David Brancato

Pietá Stone:  Meditation on the Last Temptation

by Steven Hellmer

Uhm.  I totally didn't see the Pietá here.

I thought this was more burial.

Why are there chopsticks?  

Who eats around a dead body?

Burial

I think this is

Emmaus: Rose of the Passion (Requiem for Caravaggio)

by Nick Boskovich

This is my second favorite piece...

Up until today, I thought I liked modern and contemporary art.  After this exhibit and another one at a different museum on SLU's campus, I'm not so sure.  Much of the art, I just didn't get.  Some of it was down right freaky (like the Zombie).  Some of the media used in a few works was dried blood or other human liquids.  That is just squicky.  I thought I liked abstract stuff but now I'm not so sure.  I think I'm more convinced it shouldn't be in my Church or worship space.

Later on, I'll blog about the other museum...the one with the stuff from the Jesuit Missions.