STATIONS OF THE CROSS
ENCOUNTERING THE CRUCIFIED CHRIST ON THE SYNODAL JOURNEY
(Revised in light of the AEC Synodal Synthesis and the Final Document of the Synod on Synodality, 2024)
Fr. Donald Chambers
Introduction
On October 10, 2021, Pope Francis launched the Synodal journey with the theme “Communion, Participation, and Mission ” After years of listening, discernment, repentance, and prayer, the Church received the Final Document of the Synodal Assembly in 2024 as an authoritative guide for her life and mission. The journey continues.
Synodality is “the walking together of Christians with Christ and towards God’s Kingdom, in union with all humanity ” It is not a programme but a conversion a spiritual renewal and structural reform that make the Church more participatory, missionary, and merciful. During this synodal journey, the Church celebrates the liturgical season of Lent. Lent invites us to return to the source, the Crucified and Risen Lord. The Final Document reminds us that every step in the Church’s life is a return to the Upper Room, where the Risen Christ stands among us and says, “Peace be with you ”
The wounds of Christ are not erased by the Resurrection; they remain etched in His humanity. These wounds continue to bleed in the bodies of many brothers and sisters, especially the poor, the abused, the excluded, migrants, victims of war, women and children who suffer violence, and those whose voices have never been heard
The Church is called to recognise that “God’s heart has a special place for the poor.” The poor are not objects of our charity; they are at the heart of the Church. They are agents of evangelisation. They are the crucified people of today on the synodal journey.
The Stations of the Cross remind us that Jesus’ journey to Calvary is the Church’s journey. As we contemplate His suffering, we also contemplate our need for repentance. The Synodal Assembly began its final session with a penitential vigil, acknowledging sins against peace, creation, indigenous peoples, migrants, women, children and the poor, and our failure to listen and to seek communion
Let us pray for the grace of synodal conversion: the conversion of our hearts, relationships, processes, bonds, and pastoral action. Let us pray for the courage to walk together as the People of God, sustained by our baptismal dignity and guided by the Holy Spirit.
OPENING HYMN: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS (POPULAR CARIBBEAN CHORUS)
FIRST STATION: JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH
der: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. ple: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the ld.
der: “So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they e asking for. He set free the man they wanted . . .handed us over for them to do as they wished” ke 23: 24-25).
der: The Final Document reminds us that the People of d is a communitarian and historical subject, journeying ether through time Yet throughout history, many have n excluded from that journey. We confess that we have metimes failed to listen to those whose voices disturb us. have sometimes preferred public opinion to the sensus i, forgetting that all the baptised share in Christ’s prophetic nity
ple: In our Caribbean Church, some have felt silenced or demned, including the poor, who feel voiceless; the youth, feel misunderstood; women, who are insufficiently ognised; migrants and divorced persons, who feel judged; those whose experiences have been dismissed. We fess that at times we have created unwelcoming spaces hardened our hearts. By our Baptism, all share equal nity. On this synodal journey, let us not condemn anyone he margins Let us become a Church that listens before ging, accompanies before excluding, and discerns before iding
der: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be der: Lord, Jesus, crucified ponse: Have mercy on us
SECOND STATION: JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS
Leader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “Then he released Barabbas for them. He ordered Jesus to be first scourged and then handed over to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:26)
Leader: The synodal journey has taught us that synodality is not an end in itself; it serves the mission entrusted to the Church. Walking together towards God’s Kingdom requires courage and calls us to carry one another’s burdens. The Church is called to be missionary, participatory, and merciful, not by uniformity but by harmony in diversity.
People: Taking up the cross in the Caribbean context means carrying together the wounds we have named: clericalism, weak communication, disconnection between clergy and laity, ministerial fatigue, and families struggling to be domestic churches. It means confronting social injustice, the environmental crisis, and the Church's silence on difficult public issues. Let us carry these realities together, bishops, priests, religious, and laity, moving from isolation to communion and from monopoly to co-responsibility.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified
Response: Have mercy on us
THIRD STATION: JESUS FALLS THE
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “When one of the servant girls saw him sitting there at the fire, she looked straight at him and said, “This man too was with Jesus!” But Peter denied it, “Woman, I don’t even know him!” (Luke 22: 56-57).
Leader: The Final Document acknowledges that the synodal journey has not been without fatigue, resistance and fear. We have been tempted to let our own ideas prevail rather than listen to the Gospel and to one another. We have sometimes hardened our hearts. Yet synodality requires repentance and conversion. The Synodal Assembly itself began with a penitential vigil, asking forgiveness for sins against communion and for failures to listen.
People: We recognise that we have fallen due to resistance to change, fear of participation, and doubts about whether our voices truly matter. Some communities feel disconnected across our island states. Some have withdrawn because they do not feel welcome. Yet our falls need not end the journey. The Spirit calls us to rise in humility, to acknowledge mistakes, including failures in justice, communication, and pastoral care, and to continue walking together.
FIRST TIME
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified Response: Have mercy on us
FOURTH STATION: JESUS MEETS HIS SORROWFUL MOTHER
Leader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “Standing close to Jesus’ cross were his mother. . . Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, “He is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “She is your mother”. (John 19: 28-29)
Leader: The synodal journey reminds us that the Church is called to be a home and family of God. In the Virgin Mary, we see the Church as a listening Church, one that listens, prays, meditates, accompanies, discerns and acts. At the Cross, she does not flee. She stands in fidelity and love.
People: In Mary, we see the Church we are called to be, patient, present, and listening. In our Caribbean communities, many mothers carry grief: violence, migration, poverty, fractured families, and absent fathers. The Synod revealed the need to strengthen family life as the first school of faith. May we become a Church that stands beside families, supports domestic churches, and nurtures healing where relationships are broken.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified
Response: Have Mercy on us
FIFTH STATION:
SIMON OF CYRENE HELPS JESUS TO CARRY HIS CROSS
Leader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You
People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “As they were going, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon… They seized him, put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.” (Luke 23:26)
Leader: The Final Document teaches that the Spirit distributes a wide variety of charisms and ministries for the good of the whole Body. No one carries the mission alone. The Church is not merely the sum of individuals; it is a communitarian subject walking together through history In every place, the Lord raises up Simons, whose gifts sustain the journey.
People: The synodal journey revealed many “Simons” in our Caribbean Church, including catechists, youth leaders, women sustaining parish life, lay ministers, migrants bringing new energy to the faith, and even those who had left the Church yet still love her deeply. The Spirit distributes charisms generously. Let us recognise and affirm these gifts. Let no one feel their contribution is undervalued or dismissed. Mission is shared.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified
Response: Have mercy on us
SIXTH STATION: VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS
der: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You ple: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed world
der: “Mary took a whole pint of a very expensive ume… poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with hair.” (John 12:3)
der: The Final Document reminds us that the Church alled to be a visible sacrament of communion and y. Christ’s wounds remain engraved in His risen body continue to bleed in the suffering of our brothers and ers. To contemplate His face is to recognise Him in e who are poor, excluded, or rendered invisible.
ple: The wounded face of Christ appears in those feel excluded: the divorced and remarried, the BTQIA+ person seeking belonging, the abused child, elderly living alone, the mentally ill, the neglected r, and those hurt by scandals. The Synod revealed a ing for a safe Church, a Church where one can speak out fear. May we wipe the face of Christ by restoring ity, creating safe spaces, and becoming a nonemental parish family.
der: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be der: Lord, Jesus, crucified ponse: Have mercy on us
SEVENTH STATION: JESUS FALLS
THE SECOND TIME
Leader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
Leader: The synodal journey unfolded amid wars, climate crises, social injustice, and the lingering wounds of abuse. The Assembly acknowledged sins against peace, creation, indigenous peoples, migrants, women, children, and the poor. The Church recognised that we are all in the same boat, and that one person’s suffering is the suffering of all.
People: We fall again when divisions deepen among clergy, among parishioners, across social classes, or between generations. Young people feel alienated; men withdraw; women serve without recognition. Covid disorganised our ministries and weakened relationships. Yet even in falling, there is grace. The Spirit invites us to rebuild fraternity, transparency, accountability, and pastoral stewardship rooted in love.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified Response: Have mercy on us
EIGHTH STATION: WOMEN OF JERUSALEM WEEP OVER JESUS
Leader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. People: Because of Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “A large crowd of people followed him; among them were some women who were weeping and wailing for him.” (Luke 23:27)
Leader: Synodality is mutual listening, listening to God so that, with Him, we may hear the cry of His people, and listening to His people until we are in harmony with the will to which God calls us. The Church learns to hear the voices of grieving mothers, of families fractured by addiction, and of communities wounded by violence.
People: In the tears of women, we hear the cries of Caribbean mothers, families affected by crime, communities devastated by hurricanes, migrants seeking stability, and indigenous peoples longing to be heard. The Synod called us to pay greater attention to the social question, climate change, and integral human development. Listening to these cries is not optional; it is central to our mission.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified Response: Have mercy on us
NINTH STATION: JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME
Leader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Leader: The synodal journey has revealed both hope and weariness in the Church. Many communities feel fatigued, resistant to change, and discouraged. Yet the Spirit continues to call the Church to conversion and renewal. Synodality is a path of spiritual renewal that enables the Church to become more participatory, missionary, and compassionate.
People: We grow weary when progress seems slow, when participation feels superficial, or when we fear nothing will change. Some question whether the synodal process makes a difference. Yet beneath the surface, there is deep energy, like a volcano rumbling and a woman in labour bringing forth new life. The Spirit is birthing something new in our Caribbean Church. Let us persevere.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified
Response: Have mercy on us
TENTH STATION: JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENT
ader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus, they took his clothing and divided it into four shares.” (John 19:23)
Leader: The Final Document reminds us that the hurch must be a poor Church, with and for the poor. Christ, though rich, became poor for our sake. Following Him on the synodal journey requires tripping away privilege, status, and self-importance. We are called to humility and transparency, to accountability and simplicity of life.
People: The stripping of Christ calls us to examine ourselves. Where have we clung to control, status, rigid structures, or commercial models of governance? Where has clericalism stifled articipation? Where has transparency been absent? The Spirit calls us to simplicity, accountability, and Eucharistic-centred communion. Only a humble Church can be credible in mission.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified Response: Have mercy on us
ELEVENTH STATION: JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS
migrants and indigenous peoples, and in the Church's silence on urgent moral issues. Each time we fail to act with courage, we deepen these wounds. Yet the Cross is also where love triumphs. Let us commit ourselves to justice, reconciliation, and prophetic witness.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified Response: Have mercy on us
TWELFTH STATION: JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
Leader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ And with these words he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:46)
Leader: At the heart of the synodal journey stands the Cross of Christ. From the Cross flows the gift of the Spirit, who builds unity and harmony amid differences. The Final Document reminds us that the Church exists to bear witness to the decisive moment in history: the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. From His pierced side flows the life of the Church.
People: From His pierced side flows the Spirit who calls us to communion. The Synod revealed that our people still believe in the Joy of the Gospel and love the Church deeply. Even when wounded, they hope. Even when critical, they remain committed. May we entrust our Caribbean Church to the Father’s hands and allow the Spirit to breathe new life into us.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified Response: Have mercy on us
THIRTEENTH STATION: JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS
Leader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “Joseph of Arimathea… took the body down.” (Luke 23:53)
Leader: The Final Document reminds us that the Church must be a merciful Church, capable of sharing forgiveness and reconciliation with all. We are not masters of grace but witnesses to it. Like Joseph of Arimathea and the women who remained near the Cross, we are called to tender care for the wounded Body of Christ.
People: Tenderness is needed in our Church to heal clergy burnout, rebuild trust after scandal, reconcile divisions, accompany those who have left, and restore fractured parish communities. We are called to hold one another gently. Compassion is not weakness; it is the way of Christ.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified
Response: Have mercy on us
FOURTEENTH STATION: JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB
Leader: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. People: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Reader: “They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom.” (John 19:40)
Leader: The tomb is a place of silence, waiting, and hope. The synodal journey is also a time of patient discernment. The Final Document reminds us that this journey does not end at an assembly; it continues in the local Churches as we implement what the Spirit has revealed. Decisions that involve the whole Church require time. We walk forward in hope.
People: The Synod is not finished. It continues in our dioceses, parishes, schools, and families. The Spirit invites us to become a listening Church, moving from a telling Church to one that walks together. Even when change feels slow, seeds are being planted. In hope, we wait for resurrection.
Leader: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be Leader: Lord, Jesus, crucified Response: Have mercy on us
Closing Prayer
Leader: Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ,
You walk with Your Church on the synodal journey. You call us to communion, participation, and mission. You reveal Yourself in the wounds of humanity and in the hopes of Your people. Transform our hearts. Teach us to listen deeply to one another. Free us from fear, pride, and indifference. Make us instruments of Your peace and reconciliation. May we walk together as one People of God, guided by the Holy Spirit, sustained by our baptismal dignity, and strengthened by the Eucharist. May we recognise You in the poor and the suffering, and accompany them with compassion and justice. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, walk with us and intercede for us as we continue this journey of renewal and mission. For You live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer for the Synod
We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name. With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it. We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions. Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever.
Amen.
CONCLUDING HYMN: TELL OF MY LOVE TO THE ISLANDS (BISHOP CLYDE HARVEY - DIOCESE OF ST GEORGE'S IN GRENADA)
Credits
Writer: Fr. Donald Chambers
Editor: Marcia Ormsby
Pictures: Parish of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Kingston
Design: AEC Communications Department