2010 Saint James Parish Pastoral Council - Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross A Nomadic Journey Represented by the Turkana People of Kenya:

The Stations of the Cross A Nomadic Journey Represented by the Turkana People of Kenya Presented by Saint James Parish Pastoral Council Friday March 26th, 2010

The images of our Journey tonight are seen through the eyes of a Nomadic People:

The images of our Journey tonight are seen through the eyes of a Nomadic People The Turkana are the second largest group of pastoral people in Kenya.  These nomadic people roam the dry northwest corner of Kenya, primarily in the Turkana District .

Characteristics and Identity of the Turkana People :

Characteristics and Identity of the Turkana People Characteristic of most of Kenya's pastoralists, there is little social structure to tie them down.  They have learned to survive by taking advantage of every opportunity that comes their way, including expansion into non-Turkana areas. Identity: They are a hardy and determined people.  They are a Nilotic people closely related to the Karamojong of Uganda and more distantly to the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania.  They have lived in harsh conditions that grew even harsher in the extended droughts of the late 1970s.

Lodwar Province - Turkana:

Lodwar Province - Turkana

The Pictures for our Stations:

The Pictures for our Stations Come from the Turkana artists who have interpreted the stations according to their own cultural experiences. The pictures represent their modern-day life and their belief in Jesus based upon their own cultural norms. The drawings for the Stations are found within Lodwar Cathedral, where the Turkana Catholics come to worship the Lord.

Turkana Women and Girls:

Turkana Women and Girls

Building Bethany House Lodwar Cathedral:

Building Bethany House Lodwar Cathedral

Waiting for Mass to Begin Lodwar Cathedral :

Waiting for Mass to Begin Lodwar Cathedral

Father John will lead us in our Opening Devotions for this Evening:

Father John will lead us in our Opening Devotions for this Evening

Let us Pray:

Let us Pray

Slide 11:

Opening Prayer (Everyone) Mary, my Mother, you were the first to live the Way of the Cross. You felt every pain and every humiliation. You were unafraid of the ridicule heaped upon you by the crowds. Your eyes were ever on Jesus and His Pain. Is that the secret of your miraculous strength? How did your loving heart bear such a burden and such a weight? As you watched Him stumble and fall, were you tortured by the memory of all the yesterdays- His birth, His hidden life and His ministry?

Slide 12:

You were so desirous of everyone loving Him. What a heartache it was to see so many hate Him – hate with a diabolical fury . Take my hand as I make this Way of the Cross. Inspire me with those thoughts that will make me realize how much He loves me. Give me light to apply each station to my daily life and to remember my neighbor's needs in this Way of the Pain.

Slide 13:

Obtain for me the grace to understand the mystery, the wisdom and the Divine love as I go from scene to scene. Grant that my heart, like yours, may be pierced through by the sight of His sorrow and the misery and that I may determine never to offend Him again. What a price He paid to cover my sins, to open the gates of heaven for me and to fill my soul with His own Spirit . Sweet Mother, let us travel this way together and grant that the love in my poor heart may give you some slight consolation. Amen.

Opening Song:

Opening Song Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Where you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh – oh- oh, Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble….. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Station One Jesus is condemned to death:

Station One Jesus is condemned to death

Station Two Jesus receives His cross:

Station Two Jesus receives His cross

Station Three Jesus falls the first time:

Station Three Jesus falls the first time

Station Four Jesus meets His Mother:

Station Four Jesus meets His Mother

Station Five Simon helps Jesus carry His cross:

Station Five Simon helps Jesus carry His cross

Station Six Veronica wipes Jesus’ face:

Station Six Veronica wipes Jesus’ face

Station Seven Jesus falls a second time:

Station Seven Jesus falls a second time

Station Eight Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem:

Station Eight Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

Station Nine Jesus falls a third time :

Station Nine Jesus falls a third time

Station Ten Jesus is stripped of his garments :

Station Ten Jesus is stripped of his garments

Station Eleven Jesus is nailed to the cross:

Station Eleven Jesus is nailed to the cross

Station Twelve Jesus dies on the cross:

Station Twelve Jesus dies on the cross

Musical Interlude Meditation on the Life and Death of our Lord:

Musical Interlude Meditation on the Life and Death of our Lord

Station Thirteen Jesus is taken down from the cross :

Station Thirteen Jesus is taken down from the cross

Station Fourteen Jesus is laid in the tomb:

Station Fourteen Jesus is laid in the tomb

Our Hope and Great Faith The Resurrection of our Lord :

Our Hope and Great Faith The Resurrection of our Lord We will listen to a brief meditative song from Selah

Closing Devotions:

Closing Devotions

Closing Song:

Closing Song Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Where you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh – oh- oh, Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble….. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Slide 33:

Thank you from the St. James Pastoral Council, for sharing this profound experience with us