A Different Lenten Experience

Very few readers will be boarding a plane to Rome for the duration of Lent. However, there is a Roman practice, centuries old, that might make this Lent more rewarding and informative especially to the historians, art historians and church historians. I have visited Wiki site for a description that may stir your interests. At the same time I have incorporated the North American College presentation of the Station Churches second on the list of LINKS found on this blog. But for those who want to reach through their own routes, here is a description of the program and the proper website:

http://www.pnac.org/station_churches/appendices/acknowledgements.htm

Station church

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Station churches are the churches that are appointed for special morning and evening services during Lent, Easter and some other important days.

The tradition started in order to strengthen the sense of community within the Church in Rome, as this system meant that the Holy Father would visit each part of the city and celebrate Mass with the congregation.

In addition to Mass, the station services consist of a procession, the Litany of Saints and veneration of relics. The scheduled times for each church change from one year to the next, and are posted by the entrance of the preceding day's church. Try to get there early, as these services can attract large crowds.

Because of restoration works and other practical problems, stations are sometimes changed. The list below is the standard list, and the only way to be absolutely certain if it's correct in a given year is to check the schedules when you're there; changes may occur on quite short notice. On some days, there are more than one station church. The reason is simply that the crowds would be too large to handle if only one church was used. In such cases, the most important (i.e. the original station) is listed first.