The Way of the Cross written by St. Alphonsus Liguori in 1761 is the most widely prayed version of the Stations of the Cross in the world, heard in countless parishes every Friday of Lent and on Good Friday. Each station has a short “Consider” meditation followed by a heartfelt prayer that ends with the words, “I love Thee, Jesus, my love… Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.” Below is the complete text of all fourteen stations in the 1887 English translation edited by Eugene Grimm, with the opening prayer, the verse sung between stations, and how to pray it in church or at home.
How to pray the Stations of the Cross
St. Alphonsus gives the method himself. Begin before the altar with an act of contrition, then walk from station to station. At each station:
- Genuflect and say the versicle and response: “We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.”
- Read the short meditation that begins “Consider…” and pause to picture the scene.
- Say the prayer, then an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.
- Say or sing the short verse “Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die” as you move on to the next station.
In a parish, the priest or leader reads the meditations and prayers while the people answer the versicles, and a verse of the Stabat Mater is often sung while walking. At home, you can pray before a crucifix. The whole devotion takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Opening prayer
St. Alphonsus directs: “Let each one, kneeling before the high altar, make an act of contrition, and form the intention of gaining the indulgences, whether for himself or for the souls in purgatory. Then say”:
My Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast made this journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned Thee; but now I love Thee with my whole heart, and because I love Thee I repent sincerely for having ever offended Thee. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany Thee on this journey. Thou goest to die for love of me; I wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of Thee. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to Thee.
Then this verse, which is repeated after every station:
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company,
I wish to die with Thee.
The 14 Stations of the Cross
First Station: Jesus is condemned to death
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the cross.
My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins, that condemned Thee to die. I beseech Thee, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity. I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Second Station: Jesus is made to bear His cross
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that Jesus, in making this journey with the cross on his shoulders, thought of us, and offered for us to his Father the death that he was about to undergo.
My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations that Thou hast destined for me until death. I beseech Thee, by the merits of the pain Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Third Station: Jesus falls the first time
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider this first fall of Jesus under his cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, his head crowned with thorns, and he had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that he could scarcely walk, and yet he had to carry this great load upon his shoulders. The soldiers struck him rudely, and thus he fell several times in his journey.
My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the cross, but of my sins which has made Thee suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love Thee, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Fourth Station: Jesus meets His afflicted Mother
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.
My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow Thou didst experience in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Thy most holy Mother. And thou, my Queen, who wast overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by thy intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of thy Son. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee, and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Fifth Station: The Cyrenian helps Jesus to carry His cross
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus, from weakness, was on the point of expiring, and fearing that he would die on the way, when they wished him to die the ignominious death of the cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the cross behind our Lord.
My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the cross as the Cyrenian did; I accept it, I embrace it. I accept in particular the death that Thou hast destined for me, with all the pains which may accompany it; I unite it to Thy death, I offer it to Thee. Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of Thee, and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and his face bathed in sweat and blood, presented him with a towel, with which he wiped his adorable face, leaving on it the impression of his holy countenance.
My most beloved Jesus, Thy face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it. Alas! my soul also was once beautiful, when it received Thy grace in baptism; but I have disfigured it since by my sins; Thou alone, my Redeemer, canst restore it to its former beauty. Do this by Thy Passion, and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider the second fall of Jesus under the cross, — a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
My most gentle Jesus, how many times Thou hast pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend Thee! Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary helps to persevere in Thy grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to Thee. I love Thee, Jesus, my love, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Eighth Station: Jesus speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in so pitiable a state, streaming with blood, as he walked along. But Jesus said to them, “Weep not for me, but for your children.”
My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offences that I have committed against Thee, because of the pains which they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure which they have caused Thee, who hast loved me so much. It is Thy love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love Thee more than myself; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Ninth Station: Jesus falls the third time
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of his executioners excessive, who tried to hasten his steps when he had scarcely strength to move.
Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness that Thou didst suffer in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise Thy friendship. I love Thee, Jesus, my love, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments adhered to his torn flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin came with them. Compassionate your Saviour thus cruelly treated, and say to him:
My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment that Thou hast felt, help me to strip myself of all affection to things of earth, in order that I may place all my love in Thee, who art so worthy of my love. I love Thee, O Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that Jesus, after being thrown on the cross, extended his hands, and offered to his Eternal Father the sacrifice of his life for our salvation. These barbarians fastened him with nails; and then, raising the cross, leave him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet.
My Jesus, loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Thy feet, that it may ever remain there to love Thee, and never quit Thee again. I love Thee more than myself; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that thy Jesus, after three hours’ agony on the cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons himself to the weight of his body, bows his head, and dies.
O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the cross on which Thou didst die for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death; but Thy death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Thy death, give me grace to die, embracing Thy feet and burning with love to Thee. I commit my soul into Thy hands. I love Thee with my whole heart; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Permit not that I ever offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that, our Lord having expired, two of his disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took him down from the cross, and placed him in the arms of his afflicted mother, who received him with unutterable tenderness, and pressed him to her bosom.
O Mother of sorrow, for the love of this Son, accept me for thy servant, and pray to him for me. And Thou, my Redeemer, since Thou hast died for me, permit me to love Thee; for I wish but Thee, and nothing more. I love Thee, my Jesus, and I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is placed in the sepulchre
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by his holy Mother, who arranged it in the sepulchre with her own hands. They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew.
Ah, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses Thee. But Thou didst rise again the third day. I beseech Thee, by Thy resurrection, make me rise glorious with Thee at the last day, to be always united with Thee in heaven, to praise Thee, and love Thee forever. I love Thee, and I repent of ever having offended Thee. Permit not that I ever offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Closing prayers
After the fourteenth station, St. Alphonsus says to return to the altar and pray the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be five times in honor of the Passion of Jesus Christ. Add one more Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be for the intentions of the Holy Father. Many parishes close with the final verses of the Stabat Mater or with a hymn.
About this Way of the Cross
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696–1787) was a Neapolitan lawyer who became a priest, founded the Redemptorists, served as a bishop, and is honored as a Doctor of the Church. He wrote more than a hundred books, and many of them, such as The Glories of Mary and Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament, were written to help ordinary people pray. His Way of the Cross (Via Crucis, 1761) is a small example of that gift: each station gives one simple image of Christ’s suffering and turns it at once into a personal act of love and sorrow for sin.
The Stations themselves are much older. Pilgrims in Jerusalem walked the route of Christ’s Passion from early times. The Franciscans, who were made guardians of the holy places in 1342, spread the custom of setting up stations in churches, and in 1731 Pope Clement XII fixed the number at fourteen and allowed them in all churches. St. Leonard of Port Maurice, a Franciscan, set up the Stations in hundreds of places in the 1700s, and St. Alphonsus’s short text became the one most parishes used.
The text below keeps the words of the 1887 translation, with “Thee” and “Thou.” Many modern parish booklets use updated versions of the same prayers (“We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you”), but the meditations are the same. See also the Scriptural Way of the Cross introduced by Pope St. John Paul II in 1991, and another traditional text with longer meditations on our interactive Stations of the Cross page.
The indulgence
The Church grants a plenary indulgence to those who devoutly make the Way of the Cross before stations that have been lawfully erected. They must move from one station to the next where possible and meditate on the Passion; no particular prayers are required. The usual conditions also apply: sacramental confession, Holy Communion, prayer for the Pope’s intentions, and freedom from attachment to any sin (Enchiridion of Indulgences, 1999, grant 13). Those who cannot go to a church may gain the same indulgence by spending at least half an hour in devout reading and meditation on the Passion and death of Christ.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the most common Stations of the Cross?
St. Alphonsus Liguori, in 1761. His version, with a “Consider” meditation and a prayer at each station, is the one most often used in parishes on the Fridays of Lent.
When are the Stations of the Cross prayed?
Most parishes pray them every Friday during Lent and on Good Friday, but they may be prayed on any day of the year. Many Catholics pray them on Fridays all year in memory of the Passion.
How long do the Stations of the Cross take?
About 20 to 30 minutes in a group, or 15 to 20 minutes alone.
Can I pray the Stations of the Cross at home?
Yes. Pray before a crucifix and read each station in turn. The indulgence is attached to praying before erected stations, but the devotion itself can be prayed anywhere.
What is the refrain between the stations?
St. Alphonsus’s own verse is “Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die / For very love of me: / Ah! let me bear Thee company, / I wish to die with Thee.” Many parishes instead sing a verse of the Stabat Mater, “At the cross her station keeping.”
More prayers for Lent
- Chaplet of the Holy Face
- Interactive Stations of the Cross
- Stabat Mater
- St. Alphonsus Liguori prayers
- Lent prayers and practices
- Good Friday
- Sorrowful Mysteries
- Act of Contrition
Texts and sources
- St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ, ed. Eugene Grimm (New York: Benziger, 1887), Centenary Edition vol. 5, “Manner of Practising the Exercise of the Way of the Cross,” pp. 481–491, public domain (archive.org). Scanning errors corrected and the repeated verse printed once.
- Enchiridion of Indulgences (1999), grant 13.