It is containing elements from Priests for Life, Traditional Prayers, Scripture, & Additional Prayers

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Virgin of Guadalupe,
Patroness of unborn children,
we implore your intercession
for every child at risk of abortion.
Help expectant parents to welcome from God
the priceless gift of their child’s life.

Console parents who have lost that gift
through abortion,
and lead them to forgiveness and healing
through the Divine Mercy of your Son.

Teach us to cherish
and to care for family and friends
until God calls them home.
Help us never to see others as burdens.

Guide our public officials
to defend each and every human life
through just laws.
Inspire us all to bring our faith into public life,
to speak for those who have no voice.

We ask this in the name of your Son,
Jesus Christ, who is Love and Mercy itself.
Amen.   

—  2010 Respect Life Liturgy Guide, US Council of Catholic Bishops Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities 

Pro-Life Stations of the Cross
 
Opening Prayer
(Stand)
Celebrant:  Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.” He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.”    Matt 26:36-39

(Kneel) 
All: In your agony, Lord, / your must have felt alone and afraid. / Even your most beloved /—Peter, James, and John—/ could not keep watch with you. / Each day, Lord Jesus,/ thousands of babies are killed, / participants in your passion./ Each day, Lord Jesus, /those who have grown very old, /alone and abandoned, /participate in your passion. /Keep us awake, O Lord, / that we might watch with you/ and accept the cup God gives to us/ in every moment of our lives. / For you are Lord, forever and ever. Amen.

(Stand)  Sing  (to the tune of Stabat Mater)

Jesus, Lord, condemned, defiled,
May we too be meek and mild
As we tread your holy Way. 
May we feel no bitter hatred,
When we too are persecuted,
Left alone to walk with You. 

First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death

Celebrant:  We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)
All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant:  The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. (Matt 26:59-60)
(Kneel and Pause)
All:  Though innocent,/ Jesus is condemned by the power of the State./ In like manner,/ our innocent brothers and sisters in the womb/ have been condemned./ The old and the frail/ are also condemned to die by euthanasia,/ and others who are suffering /are encouraged to end their own lives with assisted suicide./ Their rights and dignity are not recognized./ In this, they bear a special likeness to Jesus. 
Celebrant:  Dear Father, Please help everyone in our world to recognize the inherent value of every human life, from the moment of conception to natural death. Each human person is created in your image, each with their own talents and their unique role to fill.  Forgive our world for rejecting so many of your gifts. 
All:  Amen.  

(Stand) 
Sing: Now the Cross as Jesus bore it, 
Has become for us who share it, 
The jeweled Cross of Victory

Second Station:  Jesus Is Given His Cross

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant:  Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on His head, and clothed Him in a purple cloak, and they came to Him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And Pilate said to them, “Behold, the man!” When the chief priests and the guards saw Him they cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” (John 19:1-6) 
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  The salvation of the world carried a heavy price for our Lord, / the agony of the cross. / As He accepts His cross,/ let us also resolve to endure suffering / that others may live. / Let us pay the price/ for standing up for our preborn brothers and sisters,/and for working against euthanasia and the death penalty.
Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, Please help us to bear all our crosses with patience and acceptance of Your Will for us. Help us to persevere in working for justice and life for all, in spite of the inconvenience or hardships.

All:  Amen.  

(Stand) Sing: Weakened, prodded, cursed and fallen,
                        His whole body bruised and swollen,
                        Jesus tripped and lay in pain.  
 

Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant:  We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the Lord laid upon Him the guilt of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  Almighty God was weak / because He chose to be like us. / He had power and glory from all eternity, / yet He chose to be immersed in the world of suffering. / We pray that the benefits and advantages we have in life/ may not cause us to forget our pre-born brothers and sisters.  
Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, we ask your mercy on all who share in the suffering of Jesus as they carry the burdens of illness and handicaps. Help us to have compassion for them and reach out to them with patience and love.

All:  Amen.  

(Stand) 
Sing: Jesus met His grieving Mother,
She who made the Lord our Brother,
Now the sword her heart has pierced. 

 

Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Celebrant: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and the rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.  And you yourself a sword will pierce. (Luke 2:34-35)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  There is no deeper relationship / than that of mother and child./ They belong together. /When one suffers, the other suffers./ To love and defend one /means to love and defend the other. /To be pro-life means to serve both the child and the mother. /It means to ask our society, /"Why can't we love them both?"

Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, help us to be non-judgmental in helping women who are tempted by abortion, to accept them, love them, and help provide them with whatever support they need to provide a good home for their child. 

All:  Amen.  

(Stand) 
Sing:               Simon stopped in hesitation,
                        Not foreseeing his proud station,
                        Called to bear the cross of Christ. 
 

Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus to Carry His Cross

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant: As they led Him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26).

(Kneel and Pause)
All:  Many watched the Lord suffer./ Simon the Cyrenian helped alleviate that suffering. / Many lament abortion. /Some actually get involved to help to stop it. / We pray that all people may take their active place in the pro-life movement.
Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, help each of us to discern how you are calling us to defend life. Be with everyone who is working to protect life, giving us the encouragement we need to persevere. 

All:  Amen.  

(Stand) 
Sing:               Brave but trembling came the woman,
                        None but she would flaunt the Roman, 
                        Moved by love beyond her fear. 
 

Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant: “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You; or thirsty, and give you drink? When did we see You a stranger, and welcome You; or naked, and clothe You? Or when did we see You ill, or in prison, and visit You?” And the King will say to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for Me.” (Matt 25:37-40)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  The compassion Veronica shows / reflects the compassion of so many medical doctors and nurses,/ who treat their patients with dignity. / We pray for repentance and renewal in the medical profession. / May the tools and skills meant for healing/  nevermore be used for killing.
Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, please touch the hearts of all who work in the abortion industry.  Help them to open their hearts to the truth and repent of their involvement.  We thank you for your generous mercy and healing touch for all sinners. 

All:  Amen.  

(Stand)   
Sing:               Prostrate on the dust He crumbled,
                        Flogged in body He resembled
                        All our brothers poor and scorned. 
 

Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant: Yet it was our infirmities that He bore, our sufferings that He endured, while we thought of Him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon Him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by His stripes we were healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  In working to defend life, / there are many setbacks and obstacles./ Yet we know the meaning of the cross./ In weakness,/ power reaches perfection. /We do not look to our own strengths and talents alone, /but to Christ./ His own strength will sustain us. 
Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, help us to trust in You, especially when progress seems so slow. Remind us that You have already conquered evil and death.  We trust that You will use our efforts to bring results in Your time.

All:  Amen.  

(Stand) 
Sing:               May our sympathy for Jesus
                        Turn to those who here now need us,
                        May we see Christ bruised in them. 
 

Eighth Station: Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant: A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented Him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children.” (Luke 23:27-28.)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  Christ told these women to weep for themselves/ and for their children. / He does not want false worship, /but repentance. /He does not want followers who cry out to Him/ but then ignore injustice and bloodshed./ May all who believe in Christ / likewise stand up for the defenseless children.
Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, while we continue to pray for greater respect for life, help us also to act to do what we can to save both children and mothers from the destruction of abortion. 

All:  Amen.  

(Stand)  
Sing:               Jesus fell again in weakness,
                        Stumbling as we do, to lead us,
                        Through our sorrow and our pain. 

 

Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time

Celebrant: We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant: We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? (Isaiah 53:6-8)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  Despite the falls, nothing can stop our Lord,/ because He is on a mission of love./ If the pro-life movement is not a movement of love,/ it is nothing at all, / but if it is a movement of love,/ then nothing will stop it. / Love is stronger than death, / more powerful than hell.
Celebrant:   Dear Jesus, help us to keep love in our hearts and actions at all times, including as we speak to and about those who are involved with promoting abortion. 

All:  Amen.  

(Stand)   
Sing:               Stripped and jeered by His own nation, 
                        Jesus stood in desolation,
                        Giving all He had to give. 

 

Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant: When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took His tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another,, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,” in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled. (John 19:23-24)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  Nobody can stop us from loving our preborn brothers and sisters. / Those stronger than we may strip us/ of popularity, possessions, or power, / but they cannot strip us of love. / We love others with the same love that Christ showed for us.
Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, please give us the courage and perseverance to continue working for life, in spite of inconvenience or ridicule. Bless those who risk great loss in order to serve justice. 

All:  Amen.  
(Stand)

Sing:               Pierced the hands that blessed and cured us,
                        Pierced the feet that walked to free us,
                        Walked the hill of Calvary. 

 

Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant:  When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified Him and the criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  (Luke 23:33-34)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  The powers of this world/ crucified the God who made this world. /All power and authority come from God. /All who exercise power have to account for it /before the throne of God. / We pray that those in government may use their powers / to protect the innocent babies in the womb.
Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, help us to elect government representatives who will stand up for the rights of the pre-born. Help all government workers and judges to defend the right to life for all. 

All:  Amen.  

(Stand)
 Sing:             Life eternal, death defiant,
                        Bowed His head – the world was silent,
                        Through His death came life anew. 
 

Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)
All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant: But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into His side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (John 19:33-34)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  Our Lord died. / So many of His children have died with Him./ His passion is re-lived with every abortion, /one every twenty-seven seconds in our country./ We only know a fraction of the horror of this act in the sight of God. / We only know a fraction of the horror of Christ's crucifixion./ May all our brothers and sisters killed by abortion/ rest in Christ's peace and be saved by His cross.

Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, please be with all who will die today, those who die in the womb, those who die by violence, those who die alone.  Hold them in your arms and give them mercy and peace. 

All:  Amen.  

(Stand)  
Sing: Stunned and stricken, Mary, Mother
In your arms was placed our Brother;
“Full of grace” now filled with grief.  
 

Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

Celebrant: We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant:  The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, “This man was innocent beyond doubt.” When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all His acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, and saw these events.  (Luke 23:47-49)
(Kneel and Pause)
All:  Mary experienced the pain of holding her dead Son./ So many mothers grieve after their abortions. / We ask that Mary may comfort them,/  help them face the truth about abortion, / and lead them to forgiveness and healing.

Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, bless the ministries that serve women after abortion, helping them to find peace.  Help all women and men who suffer from involvement with abortion find the help they need to receive your forgiveness and healing.   

All:  Amen.  

(Stand)
Sing:              Jesus, Lord, your gift accepted, 
                       In three days you resurrected,
                       You did first what we shall do. 
 

Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

Celebrant:   We adore You O Christ and we praise You. 
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. 
Celebrant:  They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where He had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by. (John 19:40-42)
(Kneel and Pause)

All:  A tomb is a memorial. / It helps us remember the one who can no longer speak./ May we and our society / remember the babies who cannot speak. / May we also remember Our Lord's Resurrection, / and His promise of eternal life. / He has conquered abortion because He has conquered death. / May we bring His victory to every part of our world!

Celebrant:  Dear Jesus, may your victory over sin and death bring an end to the culture of death in our society.  May memorials to the babies lost to abortion serve to remind us all of the reality of life in the womb and our hope in the resurrection. 

All:  Amen.     

  (Stand)  Sing: 
Jesus, Risen, be our lover
In Your Food and in our brother.
Lead us home to heaven with You.
 

Closing Prayer:  The Resurrection of Jesus

Celebrant: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
(Genuflect)

All:  Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Celebrant:  When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices so that they might go and anoint Him.  Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.  He has been raised; he is not here.  Behold the place where they laid him.”  (Mk 16:1-6)
(Remain standing) 

All: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth; / and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, / conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary / suffered under Pontius Pilate, / was crucified, died, and was buried. / He descended into hell; / on the third day He arose again from the dead; / He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; / from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. / I believe in the Holy Spirit, / the holy Catholic Church, / the communion of saints, / the forgiveness of sins, / and the resurrection of the body, / and life everlasting.  Amen.