The court ruled 3-0 in favour of the group. It issued an injunction Monday, saying Genoa Township in Livingston County was likely violating the rights of Missouri-based Catholic Healthcare International, which controls the 40-acre wooded parcel.

The township had said a special-use permit was needed because the project was the equivalent of a church building. The religious group objected but ultimately responded with a plan for a chapel and trail after spending thousands of dollars on the application. It was rejected.

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Many artists have depicted Christ's journey to Calvary.

These depictions portray Jesus' final hours and particularly come to the fore during Lent.

Called the Stations of the Cross, or the Way of the Cross, 'the Stations' are part of church life.

On the Friday's of Lent, but particularly on Good Friday, out of devotion, people visit each station to meditate on Christ's Passion and pray.

Sometimes too the Church gathers to pray the Stations together, however, most recently, as we respond to the health threat of being together, people have been unable to visit a church and 'make the Stations'.

CathNews NZ in conjunction with a group of nine people, all working in their bubbles, is pleased to bring the solemnity of the Stations to your place, offering you the opportunity to reflect, ponder and pray.

Click to view on YouTube

Geraldine artist John Badcock was about to transport his Stations of the Cross for display in ChristChurch Cathedral when the February 22 quake shook the city apart.

Stations of the Cross will go on show in the Transitional Cathedral from March 5 to April 19. The artworks will then be shipped north for exhibition in Hamilton and Auckland, and finally sold on the open market. Continue reading

Or a faithful guide and friendly reminder to practice virtue, do good works and read Scripture?

Whatever you're searching for to help you draw closer to Jesus Christ these 40 days of Lent, there's an app to help you.

"It's a beautiful thing to have access to, and it expands our growth and understanding of the faith or an aspect of our spirituality that we need to develop," said Daughter of St Paul Sister Anne Flanagan, a social-media authority who is known as the "Nunblogger."

"An advantage of these technological tools that we have is that it reminds us that we're not [going through Lent] on our own as individuals," she added. Continue reading.

Source: National Catholic Register

Image: mashable.com

I struggle to find a meaningful, significant, relevant means of living this season - consciously, authentically, deliberately.

Attending the Stations of the Cross is a traditional Lenten practice. But my recent experience seems to make a mockery of this devotional prayer. A formula recited at such a rapid pace that I barely had a moment for the Word, the Art, the Implication, to surface before I was walking, genuflecting, chanting again. It was almost as if there is an urgency to 'get it over and done with', to set Lent aside until next week, and get on with my usual life.

I want this faith story to be grounded in my life; to be contextualised. One of the things I love about Scripture is its polyvalent nature: the way it can speak at different levels, with different keynotes, to each individual in their unique context. A sprint through the Stations of the Cross on a Friday night just doesn't do it for me anymore. Jenny Green, in "The Art of Easter" (2006) wrote, "...the Easter story is no mere myth. It is the record of the very foundation of our faith, containing hope that has power to transform lives and situations."

I want to be challenged, confronted, provoked, confused, angered, filled with questions, empowered, transformed. I want to enter fully into the heart of Divine Love. I want time spent with the Stations of the Cross - with the art, the music, the words, the movement, the prayer, the silence - to be moments of grace; encounters with the Divine; to expand my vision; a gauntlet laid down by the Spirit. I want this prayer to blow away the cobwebs of traditionalism and institutionalism and motivate me to compassion and action.

How are the Stations of the Cross relevant to the man who has just lost his job? Here is the man standing before authority being handed down an apalling sentence. Here is the the man stripped of his dignity, his livelihood, his identity. Here is the the man who will now be dependent on the support of others. Do we recognise God's image in this man? Do we see that Jesus' way of the cross is reflected in his way?

How are the Stations of the Cross a meaningful prayer for the mother and wife diagnosed with terminal cancer? Here is a woman who trusts her husband and children into the care of others. Here is a woman whose body will be laid out and buried. Here is one whose spirit will be revealed in those she loves. Do we recognise God's image in this woman? Do we see that Jesus' way of the cross is also her journey?

Am I greedy or selfish, wanting public prayer to be freshly-prepared, current, relevant, reflective of those gathered and of the global community? Are my expectations too great? Am I setting myself up for a fall? Am I not trying hard enough to conform and uphold tradition? Do I demand too much from prayer and Scripture? The Jesus we remember and accompany as we walk the Stations of the Cross is an incarnational God - Divine Love in human form. How can I make Lenten rituals relevant and meaningful? Or is it time to walk another path, follow another way?

Source

• Liz Pearce, mother of 3 adult children, loves story, dollmaking, writing and silence.
  

Other resources

• www.stations.org.nz
• www.maristmessenger.co.nz
• www.heartfeltdolls.weebly.com

The Stations of the Cross represent 14 different communities: Maori, Samoan, Rwandan, Goan, Croatian, Cook Island, Irish, Scottish, Filipino, Hungarian, Tokelauan, Polish, Kerala and Tongan.

Each of these communities donated fabric and has a story, and it is intended to capture these and publish them in a brochure so that they are not lost. The next part of the project is to install a plaque with an explanation of each Station in the country's language.

Parishioner Maria Rodgers came up with the idea of having a visual representation of the cultural richness of the parish community, as there was nothing in the church to represent this. "We decided to incorporate representations of the cultures into what was already there - we in effect ‘reframed' the existing Stations of the Cross." she said

Source

• Paenga Hihiko
• Image: Paenga Hihiko