MADISON — On the Feast of the Exaltation (Triumph) of the Cross, September 14, Bishop Robert C. Morlino prayed and blessed the new Way of the Cross at the site of St. Raphael Cathedral, which was destroyed by arson seven years ago.
The 14 Stations, each marked by white stone and connected by red granite, offer the faithful an opportunity to prayerfully follow the path to the Cross through the suffering of Christ.
Bishop Morlino was accompanied on his journey through the Stations by servers bearing candles and a crucifix, by emcee Fr. Greg Ihm and St. Raphael Cathedral Parish rector Msgr. Kevin D. Holmes, and by more than 50 lay faithful.
The Stations begin at the corner of West Washington Ave. and Henry St. and wend their way to the corner of Main St. and S. Fairchild St., traversing all of the land formerly covered by the cathedral and its parking lot, offices, and a parcel of land that had at one time been St. Raphael School.
The Stations, Bishop Morlino said at the dedication, are an opportunity for prayer as the Church in the diocese awaits the building of a new cathedral on the site. He also spoke briefly on the importance of the Cross as our symbol of the victory of Christ. (See Bishop Morlino’s column, which incorporates his remarks.)
After praying the Stations, the bishop blessed the faithful with a relic of the True Cross.
Large rectangular stones from the former cathedral building were placed at locations on the path to serve as benches, and numbered markers are expected to be added for each of the Stations.