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 Cross officially proclaimed custodians of holy places by Pope Clement VI in 1342. Although several travelers who visited the Holy Land during the 12–14th centuries (e.g. Riccoldo da Monte di Croce, Burchard of Mount Sion, James of Verona), mention a "Via Sacra", i.e. a settled route that pilgrims followed, there is nothing in their accounts to identify this with the Way of the Cross, as we understand it. The earliest use of the word "stations", as applied to the accustomed halting-places in the Via Sacra at Jerusalem, occurs in the narrative of an English pilgrim, William Wey, who visited the Holy