Cross in the Woods Besides being a shrine itself, the Cross in the Woods also has many other smaller shrines on its grounds. These smaller shrines recognize influential people and important members of the Catholic faith. The Stations of the Cross represent the stages leading up to Jesus' death. They consist of 14 specific events that occurred before Jesus was crucified and later rose from the dead. These 14 events are shown through 14 pictures that represent each moment. They are a way to relive and remember what happened. At the Cross in the Woods Parish, the Stations of the Cross are located outside,
Stations of the Resurrection from it, so as to emphasise the positive, hopeful aspect of the Christian story which, though not absent from the Stations of the Cross, is obscured by their emphasis upon suffering. The first major public celebration of this devotion was in 1990, after which it gained greater currency. In December 2001, the Holy See promulgated a "Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy", which commended the "Via Lucis" as follows: A pious exercise called the "Via Lucis" has developed and spread to many regions in recent years. Following the model of the "Via Crucis", the faithful process while meditating on