Outdoor Stations of the Cross

Today I had the unexpected opportunity to pray the outdoor Stations of the Cross when I was stuck in Radium Hot Springs for two hours, waiting for the power outage to remedy itself so I could refuel my car. Everything takes power these days! I went for a walk to kill time, and discovered the hillside overlooking the town is adorned with life size Stations of the Cross. It's a really different experience praying the stations while walking on a sheep trail, than it is praying them inside a church where you don't move at all from station to station.


The First Station. Jesus is condemned to death. Pilate washes his hands.


The second station. Jesus receives His cross.


The third station. Jesus falls the first time


The fourth station. Jesus meets His Mother


The Centurion looks on


The fifth station. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross.


The sixth station. Veronica wipes Jesus' face with her veil.


The eighth station. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem


The ninth station - Jesus falls the third time.


The tenth station - Jesus is stripped of His garments.


The eleventh station. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross.


The twelfth station. Jesus dies on the cross.


The thirteenth station - Jesus' body is removed from the cross.

Several of the stations were either not set up yet, or had been removed for some reason. If you are ever traveling through the Columbia Valley, stop and pray these stations. It's a unique way of the cross, looking Jesus in the face in a life size statue, where you can see his pain and suffering and the menacing looks in the eyes of those who crucified Him. You might even get the added benefit of a crowd of onlookers - wild Bighorn sheep.

Edit- I discovered that the original artist has since passed away, and the cost of these stations have increased tenfold from their original $5,000 each. That is why they are still unfinished.

May 2009 update - My sister passed through Radium recently, and told me that a new artist has been consigned to finish the Stations of the Cross, and most of them are now complete. I have added the eight, tenth and thirteenth stations here, as recently completed. The seventh and fourteenth are yet to be finished. You may notice a difference in the artwork bewteen these new additions and the originals, but they are both beautifully done. Well worth the stop if you are passing through Radium.