Complete prayers · English
Franciscan Stations of the Cross
The traditional stations with Franciscan meditations, connecting each station to the charism and spirituality of the Poverello of Assisi.
This reading edition is in English. The guided companion offers the available translations and narration. About the texts and sources.
Opening prayer
My Lord Jesus Christ, You have made this journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned You; but now I love You with my whole heart, and because I love You, I repent sincerely for having ever offended You. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey. You go to die for love of me; I wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.
1. Jesus Is Condemned to Death
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how Jesus, the innocent Lamb, stands before Pilate and is condemned to death. Francis, before the bishop of Assisi, stripped himself of every worldly garment and possession, choosing to follow the naked Christ to the Cross. The world condemns what it cannot understand, poverty freely chosen, love freely given, a God who submits to human judgment.
Lord Jesus, You were condemned by those who held power in this world. St. Francis heard Your voice from the San Damiano crucifix: "Go, rebuild My Church, which is falling into ruin." Help us to hear Your voice in our own lives, calling us to rebuild what is broken, not with stones, but with love. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
At the Cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last.
2. Jesus Carries His Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how Jesus receives the heavy Cross upon His torn shoulders and begins the sorrowful journey to Calvary. Francis embraced the Cross not as a burden but as a treasure. He kissed lepers, begged for stones, slept on the ground, and called it joy. For the Poverello, every cross carried in love becomes a pathway to perfect happiness.
My beloved Jesus, You carry the wood of our salvation. St. Francis taught his brothers that perfect joy is found not in miracles or learning, but in bearing insults and sufferings patiently for Your love. Grant us the grace to carry our crosses with Franciscan joy, knowing that what the world sees as foolishness is the wisdom of God. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, All His bitter anguish bearing, Lo! the piercing sword had passed!
3. Jesus Falls the First Time
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how Jesus, weakened by scourging and loss of blood, falls beneath the weight of the Cross for the first time. Francis too knew what it was to fall, to struggle with doubt, with his father's anger, with the mockery of Assisi. Yet each time he fell, he rose again, his eyes fixed on the Crucified. Our falls need not be final; they can become the ground from which new life springs.
My beloved Jesus, You fall to the earth You created, crushed beneath the weight of our sins. When St. Francis fell ill and suffered, he would sing, for he knew that suffering shared with You becomes a song of love. By the merits of this first fall, deliver me from discouragement when I stumble, and grant me the Franciscan spirit that turns every failure into a new beginning. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
O, how sad, and sore distressed, Now was she, that Mother Blessed Of the sole-begotten One.
4. Jesus Meets His Mother
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider the meeting of Jesus and Mary on the road to Calvary. Their eyes meet, the Mother who said "yes" at the Annunciation now says "yes" at the foot of the Cross. Francis had a profound love for the Blessed Mother. He dedicated the Portiuncula to Our Lady of the Angels and entrusted his entire Order to her maternal care. In Mary, Francis saw the perfect disciple, one who carried the Word in her heart before carrying Him in her arms.
My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow of this meeting, grant me the tenderness of St. Francis, who called Mary "the Virgin made Church", she who bore You, carried You, and offered You for the world's salvation. Holy Mary, Mother of God, our Lady of the Angels, intercede for us poor sinners, and wrap us in your mantle as you wrapped the friars of the Portiuncula. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Christ above in torment hangs; She beneath beholds the pangs Of her dying, glorious Son.
5. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how Simon of Cyrene is compelled to help Jesus carry the Cross. He did not volunteer; he was pressed into service. Yet in touching the wood of the Cross, he touched the instrument of salvation. Francis sent his brothers out two by two to serve, not as masters but as lesser ones, the Friars Minor. They were to help carry the crosses of others, especially the poor, the sick, and the forgotten.
My sweetest Jesus, like Simon I am often reluctant to serve, unwilling to be inconvenienced by another's pain. St. Francis wrote in his Rule: "Let no one be called Prior, but let all be called Friars Minor." Teach me the Franciscan way of minority, to serve without seeking recognition, to carry crosses without counting the cost, to find You in the lowliest brother or sister. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Who, on Christ's dear Mother gazing, Pierced by anguish so amazing, Born of woman, would not weep?
6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how Veronica, moved by compassion, pushes through the crowd to wipe the bloodied face of Jesus. She risks the anger of the soldiers for one small act of tenderness. Francis saw the face of Christ everywhere, in the leper whose wounds he kissed, in the beggar at the roadside, in Brother Sun and Sister Moon. Every act of compassion toward the suffering is a veil pressed to the face of Christ.
My beloved Jesus, Your face, disfigured by blood and spit, is still the most beautiful face in all creation. St. Francis kissed the leper and found You hidden beneath the wounds. Give me the courage to see Your face in those the world turns away from, the homeless, the addicted, the imprisoned, the dying. May every act of mercy be a veil that receives Your holy image. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Who, on Christ's dear Mother thinking, Such a cup of sorrow drinking, Would not share her sorrow deep?
7. Jesus Falls the Second Time
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how Jesus falls a second time, His strength utterly spent. The soldiers drag Him to His feet with curses. Francis knew the pain of repeated failure, his first attempts at rebuilding the Church were literal, stone by stone, before he understood the spiritual mission. Even the great saints fall again and again. What matters is not that we fall, but that we rise each time with greater love.
My most gentle Jesus, how many times have I fallen and You have raised me up again! St. Francis prayed: "Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart." Enlighten my darkness too, Lord. When I fall a second time, a hundredth time, do not let me despair. Let each fall drive me deeper into Your mercy, until I can say with Francis: "My God and my all!" I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
For His people's sins, in anguish, There she saw the Victim languish, Bleed in torments, bleed and die.
8. Jesus Consoles the Women of Jerusalem
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how Jesus, even in His agony, turns to console the weeping women: "Do not weep for me, but for yourselves and for your children." Even on the way to death, He is the Good Shepherd caring for His flock. Francis showed this same compassion, when Brother Leo was troubled, Francis wrote him the famous blessing on parchment, still preserved in Assisi: "The Lord bless you and keep you. May He show His face to you and have mercy."
My Jesus, laden with sorrows, You still think of others before Yourself. St. Francis's Canticle of the Creatures praises You through all creation, even through "Sister Bodily Death, from whom no living person can escape." Grant me a heart like Francis's, that can praise You even in suffering, and console others even when I myself am in need of consolation. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Let me mingle tears with thee, Mourning Him who mourned for me, All the days that I may live.
9. Jesus Falls the Third Time
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider the third fall of Jesus, so near to Calvary. His body can bear no more, yet His love drives Him forward. Near the end of his life, Francis was nearly blind, covered in stigmata wounds, racked with illness, yet it was in this darkest hour that he composed the Canticle of Brother Sun, the greatest hymn of praise in the Italian language. The third fall is not the end; it is the threshold of glory.
Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of this third fall, give me the strength of St. Francis, who praised You even in blindness and agony. When I have fallen so many times that I can scarcely rise, remind me that Your grace is sufficient, that Your power is made perfect in weakness. Let me whisper with Francis: "Praised be You, my Lord, through all Your creatures." I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Holy Mother! pierce me through; In my heart each wound renew Of my Savior crucified.
10. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how the soldiers strip Jesus of His garments, reopening every wound. He stands naked before the world, the Creator exposed to His creatures' cruelty. Francis stripped himself naked before the Bishop of Assisi, returning everything to his earthly father to claim God alone as his Father. In this stripping, both Jesus and Francis reveal the same truth: we must lose everything to gain everything.
My innocent Jesus, stripped of everything, You embrace Lady Poverty as Francis would centuries later. Help me to strip away my attachments, to comfort, to reputation, to control, so that nothing stands between Your heart and mine. As Francis prayed: "Grant me, Lord, the treasure of sublime poverty. Let this be our distinguishing mark, to possess nothing of our own beneath the sun, for the glory of Your name." I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Let me, to my latest breath, In my body bear the death Of that dying Son of Thine.
11. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how Jesus is thrown upon the Cross and nailed through His hands and feet. The same hands that blessed children and broke bread are now pierced with iron. Two years before his death, on Mount La Verna, Francis was praying before a vision of the crucified Seraph when the wounds of Christ, the sacred stigmata, were imprinted on his own hands, feet, and side. Love made Francis a living crucifix, a mirror of the Crucified.
My Jesus! The nails that pierce Your flesh pierced also the flesh of our father Francis on La Verna. What love is this, that You would share Your wounds with a poor man from Assisi! Nail my heart to Your Cross, Lord, that I may bear in my own life, if not in my body, the marks of Your Passion. May the stigmata of Francis remind the world that Your Cross is not ancient history but a present reality. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Wounded with His every wound, Steep my soul till it hath swooned In His very Blood away.
12. Jesus Dies on the Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how Jesus, after three hours of agony, bows His head and dies. "It is finished." The work of redemption is accomplished. Francis died on October 3, 1226, lying naked on the bare ground at the Portiuncula, asking the brothers to sing. His last words echoed the Psalms: "I cried to You, O Lord; to You I said: You are my refuge." Master and disciple, both died stripped of everything, possessing only love.
My dying Jesus, I kiss the Cross on which You died for love of me. Francis wept so much over Your Passion that he nearly went blind, and he counted those tears as treasure. At the hour of my death, Lord, may I be found as Francis was found: stripped of all earthly goods, lying on the bare ground of humility, singing Your praises. Into Your hands I commend my spirit. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh, Lest in flames I burn and die, In His awful Judgment Day.
13. Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how the body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the arms of His sorrowful Mother. She holds the lifeless body of her Son, the same body she held as an infant in Bethlehem. Francis had a special devotion to the Christmas crib; he created the first living Nativity at Greccio, so that all might see the poverty and tenderness of the Incarnation. From the manger to the Cross, from Mary's arms to Mary's arms, the mystery of God's love is one unbroken embrace.
O Mother of Sorrow, you hold the broken body of your Son as you once held Him in the manger of Greccio's cave. Francis knelt before that crib and wept for joy; now he kneels before this Cross and weeps for love. Accept me, Mother, as your poor servant. And You, my Redeemer, since You have died for me, permit me to love You with the ardor of Francis, who desired nothing in this world but You. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Let me carry Christ's death with me, Let His wounds transfix and free me, Drenched in His most precious Blood.
14. Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Consider how the disciples lay the body of Jesus in the tomb, and the great stone is rolled across the entrance. All is silence. All is darkness. But the tomb is not the end, it is the womb of Resurrection. Francis understood this. His whole life was a dying to self so that Christ might live in him. And on the morning he died, the brothers saw a great flock of larks rise singing above the Portiuncula, heralding a dawn that never ends.
Oh, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses You. But You did rise again the third day, and with You rose all our hopes. St. Francis prayed: "We adore You, Lord Jesus Christ, in all Your churches throughout the whole world, and we bless You, because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world." By Your Resurrection, make me rise with You, now from the tomb of sin, and at the last day, glorious and free, to praise You forever with Francis and all the saints. I love You, my Jesus; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
When my body here decayeth, Let my soul, Thy goodness stayeth, Dwell forever in Thy love. Amen.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Your Passion and Death is the sacrifice that unites earth and heaven and reconciles all people to You. May we who have faithfully reflected on these mysteries follow in Your steps and so come to share Your glory in heaven, where You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
How to pray the Stations · Scripture and history of each station