St. Pius X families collaborate on ‘Way of the Cross for Children’

Story by Beth Donze
Photos by Beth Donze and St. Pius X Parish, New Orleans

(Click here for the photo gallery)

The sky above St. Pius X Church in New Orleans was fittingly overcast the morning of March 31 as a handful of volunteers began the solemn work of installing an outdoor “Way of the Cross for Children” on the oak-studded grounds of their church.

Just as fittingly, by the time the final station marking Jesus’ resurrection had been wedged into place, the sun was out and the sky had dissolved into a riot of cobalt blue.

Organizers of the special Way of the Cross said they hope individuals and families in need of some quiet prayer time will stumble upon the circular path of 15 original station drawings, executed by more than a dozen parish families, as they take their walks and bike rides in this time of COVID-19.

“I think everybody was looking for a way to continue their Lenten prayer practices, but that’s tricky right now,” noted Theresa Truxillo, St. Pius X’s director of parish ministries, who came up with the idea for the kid-friendly stations. The colorful handmade markers circle the church in a counter-clockwise direction, beginning to the right of its main entrance at 6666 Spanish Fort Blvd.

“I know, speaking for my family, we don’t feel comfortable going into buildings or going into chapels right now,” said Truxillo, the mother of four children who range in age from 9 to15. “It’s hard to keep a big family together (while adhering to social distancing guidelines), so I felt like this might be one of the answers – to incorporate prayer into the exercise time that we have outdoors anyway.”

Together, apart

The creation of the stations themselves had already had an impact before they were even installed, bringing St. Pius families “together” during their time of physical separation. Last month, the parish’s e-newsletter invited families to sign up to draw, paint or color one of the 15 stations as a family project on a poster board, no matter their age or level of artistic talent. The 15 colorful results were executed in media including crayons, colored markers, watercolor and paper collage. 

The 15 stations drawings – and a 16th poster directing walkers to the prayer path – were laminated by Dierdre Macnamara, school principal, before being stapled onto wooden boards recycled from the parish fair.

A printed reflection geared to children is attached to the back of each station marker, enabling visitors to pray the Way of the Cross as a family or individually.

“We purposely used ‘The Children’s Way of the Cross’ booklet that St. Pius has always used with the schoolchildren, so the words and reflections would be familiar to them,” Truxillo said.

Truxillo, Men’s Club president Lenny Delbert and their respective children oversaw the March 31 installation with the consent of their pastor, Father Pat Williams. Truxillo said the outdoor Way of the Cross is extremely sensitive to the importance of social distancing, spread out in a manner that will enable as many as three families to walk the stations simultaneously without bumping into one another.

Multiple families are kindly asked to not congregate as they walk the stations and to allow appropriate distance as they pray.

Beth Donze can be reached at [email protected].