Saint
Francis of Assisi
556 South Jersey Street; Denver, CO 80224
National Catholic Church (PNCC)
St. Francis of Assisi Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) @2008
O Merciful Savior,
Grant that while we follow your blessed footsteps along this way of sorrow, our hearts may be so touched with true contrition that you may turn our weeping into gladness by giving us remission of all our sins.
Amen
O Jesus,
our adorable Savior, behold us prostrate at your feet, imploring your mercy for ourselves and for the souls of all the faithful departed. Vouchsafe to apply to us the infinite merits of your passion, upon which we are now about to meditate. Grant that, while we trace this path of sighs and tears, our hearts may be so touched with contrition and repentance, that we may be ready to embrace with joy all the crosses and sufferings and humiliations of this our life and pilgrimage.
Amen
O most sorrowful Mother Mary,
who first followed in the way of the cross, may the most adorable Trinity, through your most powerful intercession, receive and accept, in reparation for our sins, and the sins of the whole world, the affections of sorrow and love, with which we intend, with God's help, to perform this holy exercise.
Amen
First Station
Jesus is Condemned to Death
Saint Francis Stations of the Cross
Prayers Before The Stations
The Stations of the Cross are held at 7:00 pm every Friday night during Lent.
Leader: Leaving the house of Caiaphas where he had been condemned,
and the house of Herod where he had been mocked, Jesus is
dragged before Pilate, his back torn with scourges, his head
crowned with thorns, and he who on the last day will judge the
living and the dead, is himself condemned to a shameful death.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: It was for us that you did suffer, O blessed Jesus.
It was for our sins you were condemned to die. Oh, grant
that we may detest them from the bottom of our hearts,
and by this repentance obtain Your mercy and pardon.
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father ,
Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven;
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen
Hail Mary ,
Full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen
Glory Be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the begining, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
At the cross her station keeping
Stood the mournful mother weeping
Where he hung the dying Lord:
Second Station
Jesus Accepts His Cross
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: A heavy cross is laid upon the bruised shoulders of Jesus.
He receives it with meekness, nay, with a secret joy, for it is
the instrument with which he is to redeem the world. What
efforts do we make, on the other hand, to escape all the
suffering as far as we can?
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Jesus!
Grant us, by virtue of your cross, to embrace with meekness
and cheerful submission the difficulties of our state, and to
be ever ready to take up our cross and follow you.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
For her soul of joy bereaved,
Bowed with anguish, deeply grieved,
Felt the sharp and piercing sword.
Third Station
Jesus Falls The First Time
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: Bowed down under the weight of the cross, Jesus slowly
sets forth on the way to Calvary, amidst the mockeries and
insults of the crowd. His agony in the garden has exhausted
his body; he is sore with blows and wounds; his strength
fails him, he falls to the ground under the cross.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Jesus,
who for our sins bore the heavy cross and fell under its
weight, may the thought of your sufferings make us
watchful over ourselves, and save us from any grievous
fall into sin.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Now was she that Mother blessed
Of the sole-begotten One!
Fourth Station
Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: Still burdened with his cross, and wounded yet more by his
fall, Jesus proceeds on his way. He is met by his Mother!
What a meeting must that have been. What a sword of anguish
must have pierced that Mother's bosom. What must have been
the compassion of that Son for his holy Mother.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Jesus,
by the compassion which you felt for you Mother, have
compassion on us and give us a share in her intercession.
O Mary, most afflicted Mother, intercede for us, that
through the sufferings of your Son we may be delivered
from the wrath to come.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
Deep the woe of her affliction,
When she saw the crucifixion
Of her ever-glorious Son.
The Crucifixion
by Saint Alphonsus Mary de Liguori
Fifth Station
Simon Helps Carry The Cross
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: As the strength of Jesus fails, and he is unable to proceed,
the executioners seize and compel Simon of Cyrene to carry
his cross. The virtue of that cross changed his heart, and
from being a compulsory task it became a privilege and joy.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All:O Lord Jesus!
May it be our privilege also to bear your cross; may we
glory in nothing else. By it, may the world be crucified
unto us and we unto the world. May we never shrink
from suffering, but rather rejoice if we be counted worthy
to suffer for your name's sake.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
Who, on Christ's dear mother gazing
Pierced by anguish so amazing,
Born of woman, would not weep?
Sixth Station
Veronica Offers Her Veil To Jesus
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: As Jesus proceeds on the way, covered with the sweat of
death, a woman moved with compassion makes her way
through the crowd and wipes his face with her veil. As a
reward for her piety, the impression of his sacred face is
miraculously imprinted upon the veil.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All:O Jesus!
May the contemplation of your suffering move us with the
deepest compassion, make us to hate our sins, and kindle
in our hearts more fervent love for you. May your image be
graven on our minds, until we are transformed into your likeness.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
Who, on Christ's dear mother thinking,
Such a cup of sorrow drinking,
Would not share her sorrows deep?
Seventh Station
Jesus Falls The Second Time
Leader: The pain of his wounds and the loss of blood increasing at
every step of his way, again his strength fails him and Jesus
falls to the ground a second time. Our pride has caused his
fall, it is our insolent haughtiness which crushes him to the
earth.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Jesus!
Falling again under the burden of our sins, and of your
sufferings for our sins, how often have we grieved you by
our repeated falls into sins! Oh, may we rather die than
offend you again!
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
For his people's sins chastised,
She beheld her Son despised,
Scourged, and crowned with thorns entwine;
Eighth Station
Jesus Speaks To The Women Of Jerusalem
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: At the sight of the sufferings of Jesus, some holy women in
the crowd were so touched with sympathy that they openly
bewailed and lamented him. Jesus, knowing the things that
were to come to pass, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep
not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children."
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Lord Jesus!
We mourn and will mourn both for you and for ourselves,
for your sufferings and for our sins which have caused them.
Oh, teach us so to mourn that we may be comforted, and
escape those judgments for all who reject you.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
Saw him then from judgement taken,
And in death by all forsaken,
'Till his spirit he resigned.
Ninth Station
Jesus Falls The Third Time
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: Jesus had now arrived almost at the summit of Calvary, but
before he reached the spot where he was tobe crucified, his
strength again fails him and he falls the third time, to be again
dragged up and goaded on by the brutal soldiery.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Lord Jesus!
We entreat you, by the merits of this your third most painful
fall, to pardon our frequent relapses and our long continuance
in sin; and may the thought of these your sufferings make us
hate our sins more and more.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
Jesus, may her deep devotion
Stir in me the same emotion,
Fount of love, Redeemer kind;
Tenth Station
Jesus Is Stripped Of His Garments
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: Arrived at last at the place of sacrifice they prepare to
crucify him. His garments are torn from his bleeding body,
and he, the Holy of holies, stands exposed to the vulgar
gaze of the rude and scoffing multitude.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Lord Jesus!
You endured this shame for our most shameful deeds.
Strip us, we beseech you, of all false shame, conceit and
pride, and make us so to humble ourselves voluntarily in
this life, that we may escape everlasting shame in the world
to come.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
That my heart fresh ardor gaining,
And a purer love attaining,
May with thee acceptance find.
Eleventh Station
Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: The cross is laid on the ground and Jesus is stretched upon
his bed of death. At one and the same time he offers his bruised
limbs to his heavenly Father in behalf of sinful men, and to his
fierce executioners to be nailed by them to the shameful wood.
The blows are struck! The Precious Blood streams forth!
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Jesus!
Nailed to the cross, fasten our hearts there also, that they
may be united with you until death shall strike us with its
fatal blow, and with our last breat we shall have yielded
up our souls to you.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
Those five wounds of Jesus smitten,
Mother! in my heart be written,
Deep as in thine own they be.
Twelfth Station
Jesus Dies On The Cross
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: For three hours has Jesus hung upon his pierced hands;
his blood has run down in streams; and in the midst of
excruciating sufferings, he has pardoned his murderers,
promised the bliss of Paradise to the good thief, and
committed his blessed Mother and Beloved Disciple to
each other's care. All is now finished; and meekly bowing
down his head, he gives up the ghost.
(ALL KNEEL AND PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Jesus!
We devoutly embrace that honored cross where you
loved us even unto the death.
In that death we place all our confidence.
Henceforth, let us live only for you; and in dying for
you let us die loving you.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
Thou, my Savior's Cross who bearest,
Thou, thy Son's rebuke who sharest,
Let me share them both with thee.
Thirteenth Station
Jesus Is Taken From The Cross
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: The multitude have left the heights of Calvary and none
remain save the beloved disciple and the holy women, who
at the foot of the cross are striving to stem the grief of Christ's
most loving Mother. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take
the body of her divine Son from the cross, and deposit it in her arms.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: O Mary,
Blessed Mother of my Lord,
you bear in your arms your only Son, now dead, who often
rested his head in sleep upon your breast.
Pray for us, that as you hold him lifeless in death, he may
bear us up, in the hour of our death in his everlasting arms.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
Mine with thee be that sad station
There to watch the great salvation
Wrought upon the atoning tree.
Fourteenth Station
Jesus Is Laid In The Sepulchre
Leader: We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. (GENUFLECT)
All:Because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
Leader: The body of her dearly beloved Son is taken from his Mother,
and laid by the disciples in the tomb. The tomb is closed, and
there the lifeless body remains until the hour of its glorious
resurrection.
(PAUSE FOR MEDITATION)
All: We too, O God, will descend into the grave whenever
it shall please you, as it shall please you, and wheresoever
it shall please you. Suffer our sinful bodies to return
to their parent dust; but in your great mercy, receive
our immortal souls, and when our bodies have risen
again place them likewise in your kingdom, that we
may love and bless you for ever and ever.
All: O God,
we love you with all our hearts and above all things,
and are heartily sorry that we have offended you.
May we never offend you again; may we love you without
ceasing and make it our delight to do in all things,
your most Holy will.
Amen
Our Father... Amen
Hail Mary... Amen
Glory Be to the Father... Amen
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy upon us.
To my parting soul be given
Entrance at the gate of Heaven
And in Paradise a place.
Prayer After The Stations
Leader: Christ became obedient unto death for us.
All: Even the death of the cross.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we beseech you graciously to behold this your family
for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and
given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the
cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever,
one God, world without end.
Amen