With 'Stations of the Cross in the Woods,' teens invite SS. Peter and Paul parishioners to pray with Christ in a peaceful setting
NORTH BRANCH — SS. Peter and Paul Parish in North Branch might be a small parish, but that hasn’t stopped its teenagers from doing big things to bring parishioners closer to Christ.
During the first weekend of Lent, members of the youth group headed to the woods, where they led guests along trails to images of the Stations of the Cross. At each station, the teens read a Scripture passage and a reflection before quietly leading their group to the next station. After the last station, groups paused at a statue of Mary, where they recited a prayer to the Blessed Mother together.
Val Bader, director of youth ministry for the parish, had the idea for the event as she walked on the paths of her 47-acre property last year. Over the years, she and her husband established the trials among countless pine trees they planted over the property. The peaceful spot seemed to her like a perfect place for reflection on Jesus’ Way of the Cross.
Bader had overseen youth ministry at SS. Peter and Paul for years before taking a teaching job. She returned to her ministry role again last August, though she never stopped volunteering at the parish while teaching.
“When I had the idea for making a ‘Station of the Cross in the Woods,’ my husband was on board, so I prayed about it for a while,” Bader told Detroit Catholic. “Then I took the idea to the kids and told them if they wanted to do it, it would be up to them to make it happen.”
Bader and her husband helped the teens, but the hard-working young people took charge of most of the tasks. They anchored posts into buckets that would hold the images for each station. They wrapped the buckets in burlap and decorated them with lilies. They painted the boxes that surrounded each image and then practiced reading their parts. Above all, they prayed with Bader that they through their efforts, they could help their parish come to know more deeply the love and depth of Jesus’ sacrifice.
On March 8 and 9, the “Stations of the Cross Walking Trail in the Woods” opened for two hours each day. The teens led groups in pairs around a mile-long path, reading Scripture and reflections that connected each station with everyday life.
“They went out in pairs because the disciples went out in pairs,” Bader explained.
More than 70 people came to pray and reflect in the woods that weekend. Those who couldn’t walk the mile were taken around on a side-by-side vehicle. Bader received positive feedback not only from parishioners, but also from the youth group.
“Every single person was touched by it, kids and adults. For the youth group, it’s all about the letting them take ownership of it, or it won’t have meaning to them,” Bader said. “You want them to feel the Holy Spirit as they’re doing these things, and they won’t if they’re being told to do it.”
This isn’t the first time the young people at SS. Peter and Paul made Lent extra special for the parish. Last year, and in years past when Bader oversaw the youth group, middle school and high school students presented “Shadow Stations of the Cross” on Good Friday.
Teens collected simple and inexpensive supplies such as bedsheets, pillowcases, flashlights from home, and even Swiffer dusters as a costume element. After practicing to get the scenes just right, they presented illuminated silhouettes of each station along with a reflection in the sanctuary before the Good Friday liturgy. After the last station, the image of Jesus on the cross remained while in the congregation sang, “Were You There?”
No one at the parish supports the youth group’s efforts more than Fr. Richard Treml, pastor of the parish. Fr. Treml explained to Detroit Catholic that he likes to say “yes” to ideas like Stations of the Cross in the Woods as part of a “bottom up, not top down” approach.
“When I came to this parish, I made a promise to the Lord that it’s His parish and whatever we can do that’s inspired by Him, we would do it,” Fr. Treml said. “The more you give Him, the more He blesses you.”
In the spirit of Fr. Treml’s “yes” to new ideas, the group gave of themselves when one of their own suggested an activity that was close to her heart: making blankets for Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. The girl had spent time there a few years ago after an accident, and she wanted to give back to the place that helped her recover. The youth group gathered to make and tie fleece blankets, which were sent to the hospital with notes from Bader and the young lady who proposed the project.
“The kids had fun making them, and it touched their hearts because they were doing it for someone else,” Bader said.
Thanks to the youth group’s diligence and their willingness to think outside the box, the parish has been blessed with activities all year long. The teens have hosted a soup social, bake sales, and a recent “Siesta Taco Bar,” events that not only bring the parish together, but will also help fund a future group retreat and their first trip to a Steubenville Youth Conference this summer.
Bader and the teens pray the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire them in every season. This Good Friday, they will present the Shadow Stations again. Only this time, they are upgrading their costumes and leaving the Swiffer dusters at home.
