Members of the diocese can immerse themselves in a new expression of the Stations of the Cross this Lent by meditating on 14 works of art at locations including Washington National Cathedral and Church of the Epiphany in the District, beginning on March 1.
“Stations of the Cross” is a combination pilgrimage and art exhibit that uses monuments, paintings by old masters, and newly commissioned art installations to tell the story of the Passion in a new way. Stops on the pilgrimage include the National Gallery of Art, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Marine Corps, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Vietnam Women’s Memorials.
Featured artists include Ndume Olatushani—once falsely imprisoned on death row—and Michael Takeo Magruder, one of the world’s leading artists in digital media, who has created a haunting Shroud of Turin filled with the faces of Syrian refugees. Stations is curated by the Rev. Dr. Catriona Laing and Dr. Aaron Rosen and supported by grants from the Episcopal Evangelism Society and Trinity Church, Wall Street among others.
“Instead of easy answers, the Stations aim to provoke the passions: artistically, spiritually, and politically,” its organizers say.
The pilgrimage is supported by several events and an ecumenical worship service.
At 6:30 p. m. on March 3 at Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G Street NW, in the District, Magruder will discuss his piece “Lamentation for the Forsaken,” and how the current struggles of today’s forsaken are representative of the ninth station, “Jesus Falls for the Third Time. ”
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde will lead an ecumenical service at 1:30 p. m. on March 4 in the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea at Washington National Cathedral, where a mural by Jan Henrik DeRosen depicts the fourteenth station, the burial of Jesus.
Visitors can follow the stations by downloading the smartphone app, “Alight: Art & Sacred.” The app offers a guided tour and includes podcasts from clergy, artists, and scholars, along with maps leading to each of the stations.
