Stations of the Cross Chaplet

About This Chaplet

This rosary chaplet consists of 15 groups of 3 beads each, between which are medals representing the stations of the cross. An additional 6 beads are added as well as a crucifix.

This  Chaplet  was granted to the Vincentian order by Pope Pius IX and Pope Pius X. 

In 1912 it was withdrawn by the Holy office as the indulgences can be gained by using the crucifix alone.

 For those who are sick, or those who cannot attend Church to Make the Way of the Cross, the Holy See has granted the privilege of gaining the indulgences attached to the Way of the Cross by holding in their hands the Pardon Crucifix and saying the prayers, The Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be 20 times.

Sign of the Cross

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Opening Prayers



The Apostles Creed (on the Pardon Crucifix)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body
and life everlasting.
Amen.

An Act of Contrition (on the first bead)

O God, we are sorry for our sins with all our heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,
we have sinned against you whom we should love above all things.
We firmly intend, with your help, to do penance,
to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads us to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In his name, our God, have mercy.

Prayer to Jesus Crucified (on the second bead)

 Here we are, good and gentle Jesus, kneeling before you.
With great fervor we pray and ask you to instill in us
genuine convictions of faith, hope and love,
with true sorrow for our sins
and a firm resolve to amend them.
While we contemplate your five wounds with great love and compassion,
we remember the words which the prophet David long ago put on your lips:
"They have pierced my hands and my feet,
I can count all my bones." (Psalm 22/17-18).

Eternal Rest Prayer (on the third bead)

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them;
an dmay all the souls of the faithful departed
through the mercy of God rest in peace.
Amen.

Our Father… (on the fourth bead)

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail Mary… (on the fifth bead)

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be… (on the sixth bead)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Stations of the Cross (on each of the set of three beads)

Below are the Stations of the Cross as composed by Saint Alphonsus Liguori.

The First Station: Pilate Condemns Jesus to Die

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how Jesus Christ,
after being scourged and crowned with thorns,
was unjustly condemned by Pilate
to die on the cross. (Kneel)

R: Our adorable Jesus,
it was not Pilate;
no, those were our sins that condemned You to die.
We beseech You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey,
to assist our souls on their journey to eternity.
We love You, beloved Jesus;
we love You more than we love ourselves.
With all our being, we repent of ever having offended You.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Second Station: Jesus Accepts His Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider Jesus as He walked this road
with the cross on His shoulders, thinking of us,
and offering to His Father in our behalf,
the death He was about to suffer. (Kneel)

R: Our most beloved Jesus, 
we embrace all the sufferings You have destined for us until death. 
We beg You, by all You suffered in carrying Your cross, 
to help us carry ours
with Your perfect peace and resignation. 
We love You, Jesus, our love; 
we repent of ever having offended You. 
Never let us separate ourselves from You again. 
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider the first fall of Jesus.
Loss of blood from the scourging and crowning with thorns
had so weakened Him that He could hardly walk;
and yet He had to carry that great load upon His shoulders.
As the soldiers struck Him cruelly,
He fell several times under the heavy cross. (Kneel)

R: Our beloved Jesus,
it was not the weight of the cross
but the weight of our sins
which made You suffer so much.
By the merits of this first fall,
save us from falling into mortal sin.
We love You, O Jesus, with all our being;
we are sorry that we have offended You.
May we never offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how the Son met his Mother on His way to Calvary.
Jesus and Mary gazed at each other
and their looks became as so many arrows
to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly. (Kneel)

R: Our most loving Jesus,
by the pain You suffered in this meeting
grant us the grace of being truly devoted
to Your most holy Mother.
And You, our Queen, who was overwhelmed with sorrow,
obtain for us by Your prayers
a tender and a lasting remembrance
of the passion of Your divine Son.
We love You, Jesus, our Love, above all things.
We repent of ever having offended You.
Never allow us to offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how weak and weary Jesus was.
At each step He was at the point of expiring.
Fearing that He would die on the way
when they wished Him to die the infamous death of the cross,
they forced Simon of Cyrene
to help carry the cross after Our Lord. (Kneel)

R: Our beloved Jesus
we will not refuse the cross as Simon did:
we accept it and embrace it.
We accept in particular the death that is destined for us
with all the pains that may accompany it.
We unite it to Your death
and we offer it to You.
You have died for love of us;
we will die for love of You and to please You.
Help us by Your grace.
We love You, Jesus, our Love;
we repent of ever having offended You.
Never let us offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Sixth Station: Veronica Offers Her Veil to Jesus

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider the compassion of the holy woman, Veronica.
Seeing Jesus in such distress,
His face bathed in sweat and blood,
she presented Him with her veil.
Jesus wiped His face, and left upon the cloth
the image of his sacred countenance. (Kneel)

R: Our beloved Jesus,
Your face was beautiful before You began this journey;
but, now, it no longer appears beautiful
and is disfigured with wounds and blood.
Alas, our souls also were once beautiful
when they received Your grace in Baptism;
but we have since disfigured them with our sins.
You alone, our Redeemer, can restore them to their former beauty.
Do this by the merits of Your passion;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how the second fall of Jesus under His cross
renews the pain in all the wounds
of the head and members of our afflicted Lord. (Kneel)

R: Our most gentle Jesus,
how many times You have forgiven us;
and how many times we have fallen again
and begun again to offend You!
By the merits of this second fall,
give us the grace to persevere in Your love until death.
Grant, that in all our temptations,
we may always have recourse to You.
We love You, Jesus, our Love, with all our being;
we are sorry that we have offended You.
Never let us offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Eighth Station: Jesus Speaks to the Women

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how the women wept with compassion
seeing Jesus so distressed and dripping with blood as he walked along.
Jesus said to them, “Weep not so much for me,
but rather for Your children.” (Kneel)

R: Our Jesus, laden with sorrows,
we weep for the sins which we have committed against You
because of the punishment we deserve for them;
and, still more, because of the displeasure they have caused You
who have loved us with an infinite love.
It is Your love, more than the fear of hell,
which makes us weep for our sins.
Our Jesus, we love You more than ourselves;
we are sorry that we have offended You.
Never allow us to offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how Jesus Christ fell for the third time.
He was extremely weak
and the cruelty of His executioners was excessive;
they tried to hasten His steps
though He hardly had strength to move. (Kneel)

R: O outraged Jesus,
by the weakness You suffered in going to Calvary,
give us enough strength to overcome all human respect
and all our evil passions
which have led us to despise Your friendship.
We love You, Jesus, our Love, with all our being;
we are sorry for ever having offended You.
Never permit us to offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how Jesus was violently stripped of His clothes by His executioners.
The inner garments adhered to his lacerated flesh
and the soldiers tore them off so roughly
that the skin came with them.
May we feel true compassion for our Savior so cruelly treated
as we tell Him: (Kneel)

R: Our innocent Jesus,
by the torment You suffered in being stripped of Your garments,
help us to strip ourselves of all attachment to things of the earth
that we may place all our love in You
who are so worthy of our love.
We love You, O Jesus, with all our being;
we are sorry for ever having offended You.
Never let us offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Eleventh Station: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider Jesus, thrown down upon the cross,
He stretched out His arms and offered to His eternal Father
the sacrifice of His life for our salvation.
They nailed His hands and feet,
and then, raising the cross,
left Him to die in anguish. (Kneel)

R: Our Jesus, loaded with contempt,
nail our hearts to the cross
that we may always remain there to love You
and never leave You again.
We love You more than ourselves;
we are sorry for ever having offended You.
Never permit us to offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies Upon the Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how Jesus, after three hours of agony on the cross,
is finally overwhelmed with suffering and,
abandoning Himself to the weight of His body,
bows His head and dies. (Kneel)

R: Our dying Jesus,
we devoutly kiss the cross
on which You would die for love of us.
We deserve, because of our sins,
to die a terrible death;
but Your death is our hope.
By the merits of Your death,
give us the grace to die embracing Your feet
and burning with love of You.
We yield our souls into Your hands.
We love You with our whole being.
We are sorry that we have offended You.
Never let us offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Thirteenth Station: Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how, after Our Lord had died,
He was taken down from the cross
by two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus,
and placed in the arms of His afflicted Mother.
She received Him with unutterable tenderness
and pressed Him close to her bosom. (Kneel)

R: O Mother of Sorrows,
for the love of Your Son,
accept us as Your servants
and pray to Him for us,
And You, our Redeemer,
since you have died for us,
allow us to love You,
for we desire only You and nothing more.
We love You, Jesus, our Love,
and we are sorry that we have offended You.
Never let us offend You again.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Fourteenth Station: Jesus Is Placed in the Sepulcher

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: We consider how the disciples carried the body of Jesus to its burial,
while His holy Mother went with them
and arranged it in the sepulcher with her own hands.
They then closed the tomb and all departed. (Kneel)

R: Oh, our buried Jesus,
we kiss the stone that closes You in.
But You gloriously did rise again on the third day.
We beg You by Your resurrection
that we may be raised gloriously on the last day,
to be united with You in heaven,
to praise You and love You forever.
We love You, Jesus, and we repent of ever having offended You.
Grant that we may love You always;
and then do with us as You will.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

The Fifteenth Station: Jesus Rises from the Dead

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)
R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

Some time during the night, Dear Jesus,
You stepped out of the empty grave
with the fire of victory in Your Heart
and an unconquerable joy in Your Soul
as You definitively triumphed over sin and death. 
Jesus, thank You for living and dying for us,
so that we who believe in and follow You will not die,
but live in heaven forever with You.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…

Closing Prayer



Stabat Mater Dolorosa

At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.

Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blest
Of the sole-begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs;
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,
Whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ's dear Mother to behold?

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother's pain untold?

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender child
All with bloody scourges rent.

For the sins of His own nation,
Saw Him hang in desolation,
Till His spirit forth He sent.

O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above;
Make my heart with thine accord.

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ our Lord.

Holy Mother! pierce me through;
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

By the cross with thee to stay,
There with thee to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of thee to give.

Virgin of all virgins best,
Listen to my fond request
Let me share thy grief divine.

Let me, to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of thine.

Wounded with His every wound,
Steep my soul till it hath swooned
In His very blood away.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In His awful Judgment day.

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
Be Thy Mother my defence,
Be Thy cross my victory.

While my body here decays,
May my soul Thy goodness praise,
Safe in Paradise with Thee.

Alternative Translation of the ‘Stabat Mater Dolorosa’

At the cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful mother weeping,
close to Jesus at the last,
Through her soul, of joy bereavèd,
bowed with anguish, deeply grievèd,
now at length the sword hath passed.

O, that blessed one, grief-laden,
blessed Mother, blessed Maiden,
Mother of the all-holy One;
O that silent, ceaseless mourning,
O those dim eyes, never turning
from that wondrous, suffering Son.

Who, on Christ's dear mother gazing,
in her trouble so amazing,
born of woman, would not weep?
Who, on Christ's dear Mother thinking,
such a cup of sorrow drinking,
would not share her sorrows deep?

For his people's sins, in anguish,
there she saw the victim languish,
bleed in torments, bleed and die.
Saw the Lord's anointed taken,
saw her Child in death forrsaken,
heard his last expiring cry.

In the passion of our Maker,
be my sinful soul partaker,
may I bear with her my part;
of his passion bear the token,
in a spirit bowed and broken
bear his death within my heart.

May his wounds both wound and heal me,
he enkindle, cleanse, and heal me,
be his cross my hope and stay.
May he, when the mountains quiver,
from that flame which burns for ever
shield me on the judgment day.

Jesus, may thy cross defend me,
and thy saving death befriend me,
cherished by thy deathless grace:
when to dust my dust returneth,
grant a soul that to thee yearneth
in thy paradise a place.

Act of Love to the Crucified Lord

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, 
You have made this journey to die for us with unspeakable love; 
and we have so many times ungratefully abandoned You.
But now we love You with all our heart;
and, because we love You,
we are sincerely sorry for ever having offended You.
Pardon us, our God,
and permit us to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of us; 
we want, our beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. 
Our Jesus, we will live and die always united to You.
Amen.

Sign of the Cross

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.