Intro

The exercises that follow are on the following topics:

On the man-God - For the time of the Easter - For the time Pascal - For the month of St.-Joseph - According to the mind of St.-François - According to the mind of Saint Theresa of the child-Jesus - On the Christian life - On the virtues - following the Divine Mr. - On the conformity to the divine will - The salute by the Cross - to Carry the cross with Jesus - On the mind of penitence and detachment - On Jesus' love for the sinners - On the conversion of the sinners - on the hate of the sin - On the horror of the sin - For the patients - On the death - With various reflections - With abridged formulas

INTRODUCTION

In his/her/its literal sense, the path of the cross is the road browsed by Notre-Seigneur, the Friday-Saint, when, loaded of his/her/its cross, it went to Pilate's court to Mount Calvary. To "make the path of the cross" consists in redoing this journey, united in mind to Christ's sufferings. To replace the absence of the places themselves sanctified by the leading Man-God to the death, the Church per puts to erect paths of the cross in any decent place. The path of the cross is composed then of fourteen stations marked by crosses of wood, Every station corresponds to one the places where, according to the Gospel or the tradition, Jesus must stop. to "Make the path of the cross" will consist therefore in the visit of these stations, united in mind sufferings of Jesus.

II History:

Considered like meditation of the Passion, the path of the cross is as old as the church. As pilgrimage to the holy places, a devout tradition assigns the origin of it to the Virgin Marie. Since the first centuries, the supporters believed to possess an imperfect faith so much that them n ' 'had not visited Palestine. As oneself practices it today, the path of the cross has an origin a little more recent. He/it first makes himself/itself in Earth Saint as pilgrimage whose itinerary undergoes the influence of the circumstances. The number of the stations varies according to the piety of each or the director of the pilgrimage.

To the XIV e century, the Bx Henri Suso accomplishes every night, in the cloisters, the garden and the church of the convent, the pilgrimage of prayers supposed to represent the pilgrimage in the holy places. To determined places, he/it stops, meditate a scene of the Passion, endeavoring to follow in mind the traces of Jesus and Marie,; this exercise spills quickly same among the supporters.

To the XIV e century, Alvaro, upon his/her/its return of Earth Saint, builds in his/her/its convent of the small chapels, representing the scenes of the Passion and visits them assiduously. Here and there, devout people imitate it and paths of cross almost everywhere rise same in full air. The number and the topic of the stations vary however. One possesses all elements of our present cross path, it is sufficient to unite them and to order them. This work is first the work of Jean Van Paeschen, then of a Dutch scientist: Acrichomiuns.

In the beginning of the XVIII e century finally, our fourteen present stations are accepted and widespread in the Christian world the church approves them and enriches the practice of the path of the cross of numerous indulgences. The biggest promoter of this devotion is without contradicts holy Leonardo of Port-Maurice who erected six hundred paths of the cross very near in twenty years of ministry.

III. EXCELLENCE AND UTILITY:

A devotion, that has the Virgin Saint herself for initiatrice, doesn't have to prove his/her/its excellence. Besides, the path of the cross is before a whole exercise of meditation on the Savior's Passion. However, this meditation is the most efficient invitation to follow the Christ, to carry the cross with it,; nothing better that this convenient saint to bring back the sinners to the virtue, resuscitated and warm the tepid, to perfect just, to force the men to think on the end of the human life, God's love for us, the price of a soul and the enormity of the sin. "Someone wants him to withdraw from vice, to make some progress in the virtue, and to arrive in a short time to perfection, that he/it kisses with devotion this holy exercise, and he/it will feel some soon in his/her/its soul the admirable effects"
In our century more that in all other, the exercise of the path of the cross appears eminently useful. While forcing to the meditation and the reflection, he/it goes directly against one the most serious pains of the present world; the thoughtlessness and the lightness of mind.

IV INDULGENCES:

a) An indulgence to win toties quoties, that means every time that one makes the exercise in whole, was this several times the same day.

b) Another plenary indulgence if, the day where one makes the path of the cross in whole, one receives the holy Eucharist. If one cannot receive communion the very jou where one makes the exercise, one will be able to win this plenary indulgence under the condition to approach of the saint Counts in the month that will follow ten whole exercises of the path, of the cross.

c) A partial indulgence of ten years for every station in the event, after having begun the exercise, one would not finish it for a reasonable reason.

V Conditions:

To win the indulgences of the path of the cross to fill the four following conditions in addition to the desire at least general to win the indulgences is necessary:

a) to Be in state of grace. The confession and the communion are not required.
b) to Meditate on the passion. This meditation can be very short and according to the faculty of each, it is sufficient that it is general, that is to say that it is not required a special meditation for every station.
c) to move to every station, even though the exercise makes itself in public, this local movement is necessary unless it causes the mess.
d) to Visit the fourteen stations without considerable moral interruption. To stop the exercise to hear the holy Mass, to make the communion or to confess doesn't constitute a considerable moral interruption. One doesn't have whereas to continue where one was returned before the interruption.

VI. METHOD:

Immediately notice that no particular attitude is prescribed. One can make the path of the cross while being held on the knees, standing or even seated before every station so long as one observes what is prescribed for the visits of the statons. Let's distinguish three kinds of paths of the cross.

a) The path of the cross deprives.

Nothing is simple as the method to follow to make the path of the cross privément. It is sufficient to visit without considerable interruption, each of the fourteen stations, while meditating on the savior's Passion. It is necessary to go from a station to the other, in as much the less as the narrowness of the local and the place and the big number of those permit it that make this same exercise.

b)Le path of the cross public:

It is the one that is made by several people like public sacred function, in this case, he/it is necessary that the supporters browse the stations of the manner indicated above. But if this movement of a station to the other during the public exercise of the path of the cross can cause the mess, it is necessary, according to the very opinion of Consecrated it Community of the Indulgences, to follow the method proposed by Leonardo saint of Port-Maurice: " That every supporter stays to her place and that the only priest, with two servers or cantors, goes from a station to the other, and that to each of them he recites the particular prayers of use, to which answer all the aid". One advises the supporters however to kneel and to rise every time with the priest.

c) The path of the cross in common:

it is the one that is made together by several people by fashion of private function. Here the displacement of a station to the other is required again; but, as in the previous case, if this displacement must cause the mess, only one person browses the stations to recite the prayers of use there, and the other behave of the manner indicated for the path of the cross public.

VII Crucifix with indulgences of the path of the cross:

As a lot of supporters, for multiples reason valid, cannot go every day to a place where is a path of the cross, the saint Church, in his/her/its maternal solicitude, gives to these Christian the means to win the indulgences of the path of the cross to the following conditions:

a) a crucifix indulgencié is necessarily necessary to this effect by a priest who has the power of it. So that a crucifix can be indulgencié the cross must be of strong matter (brass, copper, however, money, iron, ivory…). The matter of the cross is without importance, because the only Christ is provided with the indulgences.. However, in the countries of mission where, according to a special permission, these indulgences can be attached to a cross, this one should also be of strong matter. The Christ of this crucifix must have a human shape, to be fixed to the cross or nailed in relief in metal and measured at least an inch and half. Otherwise, indeed, it will be difficult that he/it has a human shape.

b) It is necessary to hold in hands the crucifix indulgencié. If several people are together, one only is obliged to hold the crucifix. With a sufficient reason, it will be sufficient to carry it on oneself, suspended to the neck, placed in the pocket or fixed to his/her/its garment.

c) to Recite contrite heart, while thinking religiously about the Christ's Passion, twenty Lord Prayer, I greet you, Marie, Glory to the Father, either fourteen for the stations, five in honor of the five Wounds of Notre-Seigneur, to the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff. This recitation must be morally continuous and must only permit a short interruption.

d) For the sick people, in the impossibility to recite these prayers and to hold the crucifix indulgencié, it is sufficient to kiss or to watch, with a contrite heart, this crucifix, and to recite a short prayer jaculatoire in memory of the passion or the Savior's Death.

e) If the state of extreme tires or the danger of death prevents to recite this prayer jaculatoire, the only kiss or a look of contrition is sufficient.

Note:

The fact to lend this crucifix doesn't make him lose his/her/its indulgences. Those to that he/it has been lent in benefit also. One can therefore use it by the patients and make win them these precious indulgences of the path of the cross.

VIII. ASSOCIATION OF THE PATH OF THE PERPETUAL CROSS:

A) NOTION:

Association of people committing to make the Path of the Cross once the week, or once the month.

B) Goal:

This association has, as general end, to make more frequent the practice of the Path of the Cross,; to recall us the Savior's Passion more often; to apply of it to us has ourselves and to the other the merits in a larger measure. As particular ends, to repair the made outrages, every day, to God and to Christ, to ask especially for the conversion of the sinners, to relieve the souls of the Purgatory, those that were part of the ASSOCIATION, to ask for our Mother's triumph the Saint Church.

C) Seats:

The main seat of the Association is the church of the Franciscans, of the macaw-Coeli, in Rome. Of right, secondary seats of the association exist in all churches or oratorical public that are annexed to convents, residences or subject houses, in some manner that it is, to the jurisdiction of the general of the Franciscans.

e) Advantages:

1 - involvement to the prayers and to the good œuvres of all partners.
2 - insurance to be relieved in the Purgatory by the prayers and the Paths of Cross of the partners.
3 - in addition to the attached indulgences, by the Sovereigns Pontifes to the exercise of the Path of the Cross, a plenary indulgence is conceded to the following days; the day of the admission; at death's door; September 15, feast of Notre-Dame of the Seven Pains,; October 4, feast of François saint of Foundation; ` November 26, feast of Leonardo saint of Port-Maurice, the big propagator of the Path of the Cross.

f) Obligations:

1 - to commit to make the Path of the Cross every week or each month, to one day chosen by the partner or by the one that admits.

2 - to make, if one can, the Path of the Cross, to the following days: The Friday-Saint; the Invention of the Cross, May 3; to the Exaltation of the Saint Cross, September 14; the first Friday of March, feast of the Mysteries of the Path of the Cross,; Sunday of the Passion and the first Sunday of November.

This compilation of "Path of the Cross", that only asked for a work of compilation, popularization and adaptation, would like to help the souls to meditate on the Passion and the Death of our divine Redeeming. Can Our Lord Christ, the Savior of the souls, to have it for pleasant and to bless the diffusion of it. If this first set of "Twenty Exercises" receives a favorable welcome, shortly, God helping, it will be followed of one second set. Montreal. Lent 1945

Information of the author: Same manner to proceed.

V. We adore you…
R. because you purchased…. (to every station)
Lord Prayer - I greet you, Marie -
Glory to the Father… - Have mercy of us - That the souls…

To the demand of the R.P. Serge Mr. Lefebvre, o.f.m. Commissioner Provincial of the Third Franciscan Order, we agree to publish this third set of twenty-five exercises of the Path of the Cross. As in the first two sets, we are first anxious to give a brief preview on the gain of the indulgences and on the manner to make the path of the cross.

Gain of the indulgences:

Pope Magpie XII by a decree of October 20, 1931, abrogated all indulgences of the path of the cross, conceded before him, and replaced them by the following:

a) A plenary indulgence every time that one makes the exercise in whole, was this several times the same day.
b) Another plenary indulgence while receiving communion the very day where one makes the path of the cross, or in the delay of one month after having made this exercise 10 times.
c) A partial indulgence of 10 years for every station in the event, after having begun the exercise, one would not finish it for a reasonable reason.
d) These indulgences are applicable to oneself, or to the souls of the purgatory, it is in general the meditation on the Passion of Our Lord Christ, or according to the picture of each of the 14 stations.

For the public exercise of the path of the cross, for the path of the cross in common, some prayers are of use;

Here are those that we suggest.

a) Before the exercise:

One can recite, to high voice with the supporters, the act of contrition.

b) Before every station
C) V: we adore you…
D) R: Because….
e) After every station:
f) 1. Our father.
g) 2. Ave Marie.
hs) Glory to God.
i) 4.Ayez mercy of us, Lord,
j) 5.Ayez mercy of us
k) 6.Que the souls….
l) 7.Amen.

Prayer after the exercise

a) Prayer:

Oh my good Jesus, while finishing this holy exercise, I would like to expose arrangements of my soul once again.

When you will grant me a little happiness, a little consolation in your service, I will accept it with humility and recognition, oh my Dieu.Si you send me a few print, some parcel of your cross, with resignation I will submit to your holy will.

If you allow the temptation to attack me, me imporerai your grace for in to be victorious. So, alas! I succumb, I will stand up so quickly that your mercy will have forgiven me this temporary disloyalty soon.

There is my firm résolution,ô my good Jesus. Bless it! This blessing will give me strength to be you faithful jsuque last au of my days. Ainisi is him!

b) Station of the T.S.Sacrement

After the exercise of the Path of the Cross, one can recite the Station of the T.S.Sacrement is:

5 Lord Prayer, I greet you, Marie, Glory to the Father, in honor of the 5 Plaienses of Notre-Seigneur,;

1 Lord Prayer, I greet you, Marie, Glore to the Father, to the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff.

c) Reverence of the crucifix or a relic of the true Cross; Finally, at the time of a more solemn circumstance, as the Friday-Saint or the Feast of the Saint's exaltation - Cross, one can have the crucifix or a relic of the true Cross venerated.

We are anxious to thank all those that, by their encouragements, their advice, by their work, collaborated to the publication of these three sets of 25 exercises of the Path of the Cross.
Can the Savior of the world to have for pleasant this third set and to bless the diffusion of it. P.B.o.f.m.