The Living Stations of the Cross are a tradition at Saint John the Baptist Middle School.  As a new group of eighth grade actors take the stage every year, students do the best they can to depict the suffering Jesus endured as he died.

The Stations of the Cross leads observers through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.  This includes the walk Jesus Christ endured right before he was crucified, his crucifixion, and his resurrection from death.

SJBMS eighth grade religion teacher Peri Flanagan started the tradition 10 years ago. She came up with performing the stations live when she saw them on a visit to Seattle, but there was no acting involved.

“I felt like teens needed to do something holy,” Flanagan says.  Now, every year the entire eighth grade class at SJBMS performs the stations during Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter.  “If we didn’t improve, I would stop,” Flanagan said.  She wants students to continue to perform better and keep the tradition going for classes to follow.

Students began to prepare for stations starting on Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.  The first half of this liturgical season is spent on reflection, and students watch The Passion of the Christ movie to prepare them for the roles they will play.  The second half is spent on coordinating the stations.

The 15 stations are usually performed outside in the center circle of the Skaggs Catholic Center, and spectators walk to the each station to view a different scene.  Many of the students performing them this year have been walking through the stations as observers themselves since they were in pre-school, and they now know what it feels like to be a part of it. 

Maddie Colosimo, an eighth grader at SJBMS, played a Roman soldier in station two, in which Jesus carries his cross.  “I like how it’s a spiritual experience and it brings us closer to God,” Colosimo says. “And I learned Jesus suffered way more than we know.”

Keegan Parry took the difficult role of playing Jesus in station 11, where Jesus is nailed to the cross.  “We take away our normal lives for a different one,” Parry says.  "It is always difficult playing the lead and especially if one does not know exactly how the main character is."

Many people experience the stations each year.  The entire student body of Saint John the Baptist Elementary School and Middle School view it, as well as members of Saint John the Baptist Parish and parents.  This year, employees from the nearby Lone Peak Hospital also came to see the performance.

Crowds continue to come as each group of eighth graders steps up to the challenge and keeps the tradition alive.