By Thy Holy Cross Thou Hast Redeemed The World: Nine Methods to Pray the Way of the Cross

As early as the 4th c., Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land would walk the route that Our Lord walked as He made His way to Golgotha for our salvation. When Muslims captured Jerusalem and it became too dangerous to make this pilgrimage, Christians replicated the sites back home in Europe, and there developed the "Stations of the Cross" devotion (also known as "Way of the Cross," "Via Dolorosa," or "Via Crucis"). The devotion consists of meditating on 14 events -- that number being fixed in 1731 by Pope Clement XII -- which took place during Christ's Passion, from His being condemned to His burial. Franciscans popularized the devotion, which was originally made outside, often along roads to shrines or churches. The Way of the Cross can still be made outside, of course -- a perfect idea for a Mary Garden -- but is usually made inside nowadays, especially during the Season of Lent and most especially on Good Friday. The edition contains nine methods of praying the traditional stations of the cross: The Way of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori The Way of the Cross by Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman Two versions of the Way of the Cross from The Golden Manual The Way of the Cross from the Raccolta A Franciscan Way of the Cross A Way of the Cross by Bishop Keffler A Way of the Cross by Rev. F. X. LaSance and A Short Way of the Cross