A new format of the Ecological Stations of the Cross with John Paul II has been produced by Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, of Silver Spring, Md., in collaboration with members of the Franciscan Action Network. This version is shorter than the original and “seems to be more appealing,” he said.
The “Stations of the Cross with John Paul II: On the Path of Ecological Conversion” — in both English and Spanish — can be found on FAN’s website, which also offers other Lenten resources, as well as HNP.org.
“We hope that various ministry sites will consider promoting these Ecological Stations of the Cross online or by way of bulletin announcements with links to FAN’s or the Province’s website,” said Jacek, chair of the HNP Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Directorate.
Team Effort
The “attractive layouts in English and Spanish were made possible thanks to a grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development from the Archdiocese of Washington,” Jacek said.
The reflection quotations are from “The Ecological Crisis is a Moral Crisis: Pope John Paul II on Environmental Responsibility,” a 140-page manuscript edited by Frederick Krueger, executive coordinator of the National Religious Coalition of Creation Care.
Valuable Resource
As Jacek said in a March 2011 internal HNP e-bulletin, the resource was developed “with the aim of assisting friars and our partners-in-ministry in the task of evangelizing and carrying out the mission of environmental justice, a key component of the Province’s 2008-2013 strategic plan.”
The project offers “something traditional in a progressive format,” Jacek said. Using this resource “is an opportunity for people to be involved with Lent in a very Franciscan way,” he added.
The initiative is a collaboration between the Province’s JPIC Office and Directorate, FAN, and the archdiocesan efforts to promote environmental justice, said Jacek. Lay Latino JPIC leaders at St. Camillus Parish, where he is vicar and guardian, have been using the stations with broadcasts on local Spanish language radio stations during Lent. He said he is pleased with the interest the Stations have attracted.
FAN is also offering the Washington Archdiocese Caring for Creation Lent Calendar.
“The calendar and stations are good tools of the new evangelization, as they are useful for church-going Catholics and they reach beyond the choir to people on the margins of the Church and far from the Church,” said Tony Bosnick, director of the Justice and Charity Office of the Archdiocese of Washington.
— Jocelyn Thomas is director of communications for Holy Name Province.