On Friday, April 18, Christians all over the world will gather together and tell the story of the passion and death of Jesus. One Good Friday observance that has impacted Christians for centuries is the Stations of the Cross.
Stations of the Cross can be thought of as a living devotional which recalls a series of events at the end of Jesus’ life from his condemnation to his burial. The Way of the Cross imitates the practice of visiting the places of Jesus’ passion in the Holy Land by early Christian pilgrims. The solemn progression has been an expression of praise and worship since the very earliest days of the Christian Church. The devotion became more prominent when it was encouraged by Roman Catholic Franciscans, and it became common in the fifteenth century. When the Anglican (Episcopal) Church separated from the Roman Church in the 1530’s, the Stations of the Cross tradition continued to be practiced in the British Church. Stations of the Cross is believed to have been observed in Sweden since the 1300’s through the influence of St. Birgitta (St. Bridget) and remains a part of the Holy Week tradition long after Sweden became predominantly Lutheran following the Protestant Reformation which began in 1517.
In the spirit of community and ecumenical worship, two Levelland churches whose history and liturgy are directly descended from these traditional expressions of Christianity – St. Michael Catholic Church and St. Paul Lutheran Church – wish to invite any and all people in the community to join in participating in this year’s Good Friday Stations of the Cross time of prayer, reflection, and worship on Friday, April 18, 2025 at 12:00 Noon.
The event will be held outdoors in downtown Levelland at the Courthouse and will begin near the parking lot on the corner of Houston and Avenue H with stops around the Square for each of the 14 stations where scripture will be read and prayers spoken.
The procession lasts about an hour. All people from any faith tradition are welcome and encouraged to attend, regardless of whether or not you are Catholic or Lutheran, or have participated before or not.