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,
Via Dolorosa of Cyrene takes Jesus' cross, and carries it for him. Although this narrative is included in the three Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John does not mention Simon of Cyrene but instead emphasizes the portion of the journey during which Jesus carried the cross himself. The current traditional site for the station is located at the east end of the western fraction of the Via Dolorosa, adjacent to the "Chapel of Simon of Cyrene", a Franciscan construction built in 1895. An inscription, in the architrave of one of the Chapel doors, references the Synoptic events. Prior to the 15th century,