Joyful Hope!

Seventeen young people between the ages of 12 and 17 led St. Andrew’s Parish in the Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 14 at 7.15 pm in St. Andrew’s Church, Teesville.

This was the first time that young people of the parish had been invited to lead the Stations and it was the result of the excellent work they had put into the Youth Masses throughout last year and the Voices of Christmas in December.

The Youth Team had invited the new Bishop of Middlesbrough, Bishop Terence Patrick Drainey, to St. Andrew’s for the important occassion and were over the moon that he had accepted their invitation as was Parish Priest Canon Edmond Gubbins.

The evening started with the Bishop celebrating the parish Mass at 6.30 pm.
In her welcome and introduction Catherine Kelly, on behalf of the Senior Youth Team, said she hoped that the spiritual journey through Our Lords Passion and Resurrection helped prepare people in some way for the great celebration of Easter. The introduction was followed by a reflection entitled the ‚’Cross Room’ which was read by Danny Regan.

The Stations prayed by the young people were those first instigated by Pope John Paul II on Good Friday 1991 and based on incidents from the Gospels leading to the crucifixion and Resurrection. They were:

1. Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane
2. The betrayal and arrest of Jesus
3. Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin
4. Peter denies knowing Jesus
5. Pilate condemns Jesus to death
6. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
7. Jesus is given his cross to carry
8. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross
9. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
10. Jesus is crucified
11. Jesus forgives the repentant thief
12. Jesus speaks to his mother and his disciple
13. Jesus dies on the cross
14. Jesus is placed in the tomb
15. Jesus rises from the dead

Images of each of the 15 stations were projected on to the Sanctuary wall while the corresponding scripture was read, followed by a modern interpretation and a meditation. After every third station Daniel Doherty played a verse of ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord’ on the flute. The prayers for the Popes intentions were led by the Bishop accompanied by the youth team kneeling at the foot of the Sanctuary.

After this the Bishop thanked the Youth for creating and maintaining a prayerful atmosphere throughout and for showing people a new way to pray the Stations. He then went on to tell them that they were a shining example of ‘joyful hope’. The evening was completed by the youth band playing and the congregation singing Shine Jesus Shine.