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Two Books for Praying Stations of the Cross with Children

By Sarah Reinhard

You know what I love about our Catholic faith? There’s always next year. Or next week. Or, hey, the next hour!

Here it is, Good Friday. Have I prayed the Stations? No, I have not, and don’t even ASK if I’ve prayed them with my children. My litany of excuses is long and impressive, but it’s still just a list of excuses.

I love the idea of the Stations, but I’m not very comfortable with them. Blame my convert status, though I suspect it has more to do with my laziness.

But, thanks be to God, in my basket of review materials, I have two new books that will help me.

Praying Stations of the Cross with Children.jpg

I love that both of these books are beautifully hardbound and illustrated. They’re not dumbed down, but they’re also written at a level that I know my children will be able to understand.

The Garden Way of the Cross

cover-gardenwayofthecross

Based on the writings of Father Thomas A. Stanley, Illustrated by Louise Tessier (Novalis, 2013)

Oh, how I love my garden. And so do my children. And that makes me love it all over again, even more.

This book is an approach to Stations that speaks to my garden girl mentality. The opening encourages the reader, “As you meditate on each station along The Garden Way of the Cross, imagine yourself walking slowly in a quiet garden.”

And isn’t this appropriate in so many ways? Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene. Gardens are quiet and naturally lend themselves to prayer.

At each station, as you pause in your quiet garden walk with Jesus, there’s the traditional opening prayer (“We adore you, O Christ”), a passage of Scripture, and a meditation based on a plant or a flower. The plant is illustrated on the facing page.

The way the plants and stations are interwoven is a beautiful experience. I think I’ll be doing some adding to my flowerbeds based on what I’ve prayed in this book.

Walking with Jesus to Calvary: Stations of the Cross for Children

cover-walkingwithjesustocalvary

By Angela M. Burrin, Illustrated by Maria Cristina Lo Cascio (Word Among Us Press, 2014)

This is a book that can read like a storybook, which I know will engage my younger kids. The story’s told at each station, and it’s followed by a four- or five-line prayer.

The book opens with an explanation of what the Stations of the Cross are and how to pray them.

It’s appropriate for ages 5-10, and I can see where this would be a great resource for catechists of all ages, though with older kids you might just use the explanations and not the pictures (though don’t discount the power of pictures).

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Read all posts by Sarah Reinhard Filed Under: Book Reviews, Resources Tagged With: book reviews, Stations of the Cross

About Sarah Reinhard

When Sarah Reinhard set off in her life as a grown-up, she had no idea it would involve horses, writing, and sparkly dress shoes. In her work as a Catholic wife, mom, writer, parish employee, and catechist, she’s learned a lot of lessons and had a lot of laughs. She’s online at SnoringScholar.com and is the author of a number of books, including A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism and Catholic Family Fun: A Guide for the Adventurous, Overwhelmed, Creative, or Clueless.

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