By Dan Sullivan
Catholic Herald

Living Stations: A Lenten tradition in Cumberland

CUMBERLAND -- For the 14th year in a row the Stations of the Cross came to life during a performance at the Cumberland Art Center. The center is the former St. Mary Church.

The production, which was done in large part by confirmation students from St. Anthony Abbot Parish in Cumberland, took place on Palm Sunday, April 4.

Kathy Turba, parish music director, said that for a few years taped music was used. "Then we decided to have the youth choir sing after each station," Turba said.

The young people and youth choir sang, along with the parish's adult and hallelujah choirs.

"There is always lots of interest," Turba said. "The singers in the youth choir look forward to it each year."

Included in the performance were a ten member youth chorus, nine young people who portray the various characters, and a 21 member adult choir. The adult choir sang only the opening song, while youth voices performed the remainder of the selections after each station. The youth and adult voices joined together in the final selection.

"We have terrific participation," Turba said.

Steve Wickre, a parishioner who is involved in Cumberland community theater, served as of the director of the performance.

"I've been doing it since the start," Wickre said. "It's my thing that I can do at church. ... It's fairly simple without going into the full passion play."

Wickre's three children have all been in the production. This year daughter Laura Wickre took the part of Mary.

During each station the young performers froze in the action of the station.

"I keep promising a surprise ending, but you can't do that with out rewriting the stations," Steve Wickre said.

Steve Wickre said all roles are important in order to make the production come together.

"They have a very short time to prepare," he said. "They have done a good job of learning the stations."

Laura Wickre and Brittney Craine, who portrayed Veronica, sang solos. Steve Wickre did the dramatic reading of the stations.

The young actors said they learned from doing this project.

"I didn't know the stations before," said Ryan Mazurek, who played the part of Jesus. "Now I learned the stations, memorized them and now I know them. I learned that Jesus went through a lot for us."

Laura Wickre, said she learned about Mary by playing the character. "She really had to go through a lot as a mother and it must have been painful to see her son suffer," Wickre said.

Fr. Dennis Mullen, pastor of St. Anthony Abbott Parish, said he was proud of his parishioners.

"They all worked very hard at this," Mullen said. "I think they also absorb some spirituality by doing the stations."

Parents were also proud of the young people.

"I think its wonderful that the youth are a part of this," said Patty Mann, whose daughter, Sarah Mann, sang in the youth chorus. "They did an excellent job."

Others said the annual production serves as a meaningful project for confirmation students.

"When you perform it, you remember it, said Deb Goldsmith. "It really gives meaning to it."

Her son, Daniel Goldsmith, played the part one of the two guards.

The Stations of the Cross is an ancient form of devotion commemorating the passion and death of Christ. It consists of 14 meditation stations -- beginning at the first station, where Pilate condemns Jesus to death, and ending at the 14th, where Jesus is wrapped in a shroud and his body is laid in the tomb. Depictions of these scenes are mounted in most churches and chapels.

The stations originated with Holy Land pilgrims who visited the actual scene of the incidents of the passion of Christ. Representation of at least some of these scenes were known as early as the fifth century. Franciscans, who were given custody of holy places in 1342, promoted the devotion widely. The general features of the devotion were fixed by Clement XII in 1731.

Source: 1995 Catholic Almanac

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2004