Walking the Way of Sorrows: Stations of the Cross [Paperback]

Katerina Katsarka Whitley (Author), Noyes Capehart (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003

Each year on Good Friday, Christian congregations all over the world walk the Stations of the Cross, a commemoration of Jesus' walk to Calvary. In Walking the Way of Sorrows, artist Noyes Capehart and writer/journalist Katerina Whitley provide a fresh resource for congregations and individuals who want to explore the meaning of these Stations more deeply. Capehart's stark and powerful blockcuts of the fourteen Stations are accompanied by monologues from the point of view of someone from each blockcut. These monologues, along with biblical references and a brief liturgy, are excellent for individual devotion, but can also be used by groups who walk the Stations together.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It has become a cliché to tell the Christmas story from the perspective of the lesser-known people and creatures that were there: the donkey that carried Mary to Bethlehem, the innkeeper who refused lodging to the family, etc. But this device has rarely been used with the story of Christ's passion, so this book of 14 reflections may help readers enter the Lenten story in a fresh way. Told from the point of view of various individuals who witnessed Christ on his via dolorosa, the meditations are arranged to complement the devotional practice of walking the Stations of the Cross (14 incidents from Jesus' condemnation to his burial). We hear reflective monologues from Jesus' mother Mary, a soldier who dragged Jesus before Pontius Pilate, Simon of Cyrene and Joseph of Arimathea, among other characters. Each brief chapter is accompanied by an arresting original woodcuts by artist Noyes Capehart.
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About the Author

Katerina Whitley has worked as a church journalist for the past two decades and also is the author of two other books of monologues: Speaking for Ourselves: Voices of Biblical Women and Seeing for Ourselves: Biblical Women Who Met Jesus, both available from Morehouse Publishing. Noyes Capehart is a professional artist whose works have been shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Smithsonian Museum, and elsewhere. His art has been featured in American Artist magazine as well as in private collections in the United States, Europe, and Mexico.

Product Details

• Paperback: 86 pages
• Publisher: Morehouse Publishing (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0819219843
• ISBN-13: 978-0819219848
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #486,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katerina Katsarka Whitley was born in Thessaloniki, Greece and studied in the U.S. The Greek gift of story-telling featured large in her upbringing so it was inevitable that she would devote herself to writing and drama. Her five books on biblical themes are told as dramatic monologues which she performs in churches and before other groups. She especially loves leading retreats and teaching writing. A teacher and musician, she now devotes herself to writing books. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look for Yourself, January 30, 2004

By 

Martha Holland (Elizabethtown, KY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Walking the Way of Sorrows: Stations of the Cross (Paperback)

Walking the Way of Sorrows, Katerina Whitley's third book of biblical storytelling is both similar to and quite different from her previous books. In her earlier books the characters are all women. Each women's story stands alone, connected only by their mutual connection to God. In Walking the Way of Sorrows Whitley chose the linked narrative of the Stations of the Cross. The major change is that the presence of numerous men along the Via Dolorosa necessarily expanded her exploration to include men's reaction to meeting the divine. She speaks, in the introduction, of her trepidation at entering the unfamiliar territory of the male reaction to Jesus. But she needn't have worried. The men all come across as thoroughly masculine and as individual all any of the women she has written about.

The first narrative is of the soldier who escorted Jesus back to Pilate after his examination by Herod during the long night after his capture. He makes sure we understand he is a Roman soldier, not some barbarian riffraff, and that he is tough enough to do his job. But, "I looked into his eyes!" he cries, sorrowing for the good man who must go to underserved punishment because Pilate is afraid of political repercussions.

After a quick read I am looking forward to exploring each story in depth. I read through it in an afternoon, hoping to find material for a family Lenten study. The difficult part is not in deciding to use this book in my education ministry this Lent, but in finding the best way to present it to a group. With each monologue conducted by a different actor the book could lie at the heart an excellent Good Friday liturgy. On the other hand, read and discussed week by week, the narrations in Walking the Way of Sorrows would expand to fill the whole season with Whitley's vision of humanity's response to God.

This book is beautifully illustrated by Noyes Capehart's woodcuts. These illuminations enhance the reader's understanding of the people in the stories. Rather, since the woodcuts were the inspiration for the monologues, the stories enhance the illustrations. Whichever way you see them they also make admirable meditation pieces on their own.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Walking the Way of Sorrows, March 8, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Walking the Way of Sorrows: Stations of the Cross (Paperback)

Before reading this book, I was only vaguely familiar with the Stations of the Cross. Though the illustrations are powerful enough to tell the story of each station on their own, the author has done an excellent job of placing the reader inside each station. The writing style the author uses enables the reader to be witness to the stations as they happen ~ as if you were actually there. The reader is moved to tears as the author sheds light on the gravity of the reality of Christ's crucifixion.
I read this book before seeing "The Passion of the Christ" recently.... had I not read the book, the movie would have been profound enough on its own, but the knowledge and perspective I gained from reading it added to the power of the movie and I am very thankful that I had the chance to read the book first.
If you have seen the movie, you will remember each scene distinctly as you read the book... If you haven't seen the movie, read the book first and the movie will be so much more powerful... Either way, I think anyone who reads this book will be so thankful that they did. For both the monologues as well as the illustrations. The artist is incredible ~ you will LOVE the pictures. They are so real and heartbreaking... you just have to see for yourself.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching journey, March 16, 2006

By 

E. Kirby (Boone, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Walking the Way of Sorrows: Stations of the Cross (Paperback)

Katerina Whitley's ability to take the reader into the hearts of her characters is beautifully continued with this book. She and Noyes Caperhart have worked together to bring out the humanity inherent in the walk to Calvary. For each of the stations Whitley has written a monologue for one of the observers in her honest, natural voice.
Our adult Sunday school class spent each week during Lent reading and exploring our reactions to the monologues and blockcuts. I would highly recommend the experience to any one who wishes to deepen their connection to Christ's walk during the Lenten season.