by Katharine Smith : Illustrated by George Boxley
This book began life as a series of eight short meditations to accompany portrayals of eight stations of the cross created by the Banner Group of St Andrew’s Church, Taunton.
At the time I wrote them a draft of “Common Worship: Times and Seasons” was published and included a new liturgy called “The Way of the Cross”. This liturgy allows for a period of meditation for each of its fifteen stations, all of which are based on a scriptural passage.
Using the eight meditations I’d already written as foundation stones I began work on the stations used in “The Way of the Cross” and asked my brother, George Boxley, if he would illustrate them. He readily agreed and as our work together evolved we saw that what he was doing was creating visual interpretations both of the scriptural passages and my meditations rather than straight forward illustrations. His work therefore has a power of its own which is very special and distinctive.
Redemptorist Publications agreed to publish this book and did so in 2007. I am very grateful to them for their support and their beautiful presentation of the book which is available for purchase direct from their website.
“The Way of the Cross” can, of course, be used for personal meditation and prayer but I have also used it with the liturgy from “Common Worship: Times and Seasons” allowing time for sharing of thoughts if that is appropriate.
On the following page there are some extracts from some of the meditations in the book to give a flavour of the content.