Saturday, 14 May 2022

Stations of the Cross for Kids - Regina Doman and Christopher Lewis

Stations of the Cross for Kids
Christopher Lewis (Illustrator)
ISBN 9781505118575
eISBN 9781505118599
eISBN 9781505118582
ASIN B08VW48N13


This is the eleventh volume from the pen of Regina Doman that I have read. I have actually had it for over a year before I got to reading it. Last year was very busy. And then over the year I stuck with version I know well. I try and pray a Stations each day during Lent, and at least Fridays throughout the year. I enjoyed this one so much I picked up the eBook edition so I could give the physical copy to my son. There was some significant controversy around this volume last year. FB blocked adds for it as too graphic, and repeatedly censored posts by the author, the publisher and reviewers. It is an excellent edition. My only complaint is that in the eBook edition each page is a picture and text to speech adaptive technology does not work with it. I would love if there was an audio download available to pray along with. But even with those two it is a version I can easily recommend for children and to be honest to be read and prayed by people of any age.

The first page is a history of the stations and the next two are guides to using this version of the stations. That second page states:

Within each station, you will find the following: 

Each station has a street scene with many people. Try to follow Christ and his Mother on their way to Golgotha. Notice what the other people are doing. Who is helping Jesus? Who is hurting him? Who is not paying attention? What sorts of things are they doing? How are the things they are doing related to what is happening to Jesus? See the boy and girl in the top corner stealing apples from their neighbor’s tree. How is their story part of Jesus’s story? 

Opening Responsorial 
This prayer, probably created by St. Francis of Assisi, is prayed after each station is announced. It is also a good prayer to pray whenever you pass a Catholic church where the Eucharist is housed. 

Priest (or leader): We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you 
Response: Because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world. 

Prayer of Love to Jesus 
This prayer was composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori for his well-loved Stations of the Cross and can be prayed after each meditation. 

I love you, O Jesus my love, with all my heart. 
I repent for ever having offended you. 
Never let me offend you again. 
Grant only that I may love you always, 
and then do with me as you will.”

At the bottom of each station is the Stabat Mater in both English and Latin. On the second page of each station is a side bar, a way to go deeper, or learn more about the history, or event related to that station. The first page of each station is a full page artwork with the number and name of the station overlaid at the top of the page and the bottom has the ‘We adore you’ prayer. The sidebar on the first station is:

Gabbatha: 
The Stone Pavement 

“When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gabbatha” (Jn 19:13). Where was Gabbatha, the place where Pilate condemned Jesus? For many years, it was thought that Pontius Pilate, must have questioned Jesus at the Antonian fortress. This was a tower close to the Temple, which was built by Herod the Great in honor of his patron, Marc Antony. But early historians wrote that the governor stayed in Herod’s palace on the western hill whenever he was in Jerusalem and used the pavement outside for judging criminals. Recent archeology has uncovered a pavement outside of Herod’s palace which fits their description of the praetorium used by Pilate.”

This is a wonderful version of the stations. There is so much details in the illustrations. You can go over them again and again. And the illustrations all overlap. A few are the same base image. I would love to print off copies in the same scale and overlay them to see the passion take place. This is an excellent stations of the cross. It is another great resource from Regina Doman and from TAN books. I highly recommend this for church, school, home use and as a library resource for each as well. 





Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan

For all other reviews of Stations of the Cross click here.

Book by Regina Doman:
Fairy Tales Retold:
Snow White and Rose Red (1997)
Shadow Of The Bear (2002)
Black As Night (2004)
Waking Rose (2007)
Midnight Dancers (2008)
Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves (2010)

Rapunzel Let Down (2013)
...

Other Books:
The Story of Job
...

Contributed to:
Catholic Philosopher Chick Makes Her Debut
Catholic Philosopher Chick Comes on Strong
The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide
The Chestertons and the Golden Key
...

Picture Books:
Angels in the Water (2004)
Fairy Tale Novel Paper Dolls (2009)
...

NonFiction:
Our Fairy Tale Romance - Andrew Schmiedicke (2009)

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