County of art: Montgomery County
Location of art: MO-P, Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows, on small chapel, Starkenburg
Marker erected by: Church of the Risen Savior
relief Artist: A. T. Kaletta of St. Louis
"They take the body of Jesus to its resting place. The
huge stone over the tomb is the final sign of the
permanence of death. In this final act of surrender, who
would have imagined this tomb would soon be empty or
that Jesus would show himself alive to his disciples, or that
they would recognize him in the breaking of bread? Oh,
that our hearts might burn within us, as we realize how he
had to suffer and die so as to enter into his glory, for us.
" I pause to contemplate this act of closure on
his life. In solidarity with all humanity, his body is taken to
its grave.
I stand for a moment outside this tomb. This final journey of
his life has shown me the meaning of his gift of himself for
me. This tomb represents every tomb I stand before with
fear, in defeat, struggling to believe it could ever be empty." ~ Stations of the Cross - When, Where & Why?
You may be wondering why the sites are called Stations of the Cross. The word station comes from
the Latin word that means to stand. We are walking from Christ’s trial to His crucifixion at Calvary and
we stop and stand at certain sites (stations) that commemorate various events that took place along
the way. As you come to each station, you stop, pray, read the scriptures, pray the prayers, and
contemplate the situation before moving on. As you walk from one station to the next, your walking
becomes a devotional act, because you are walking with Jesus as He walks to Calvary.
Marker on site text:
STATIONS
Simple stations were built here in 1889. Present images were donated in 1901 by Joseph Highberger, Westphalia, Kansas, when more impressive brick stations were built. Although the stations eroded, images remained intact and were incorporated into the present stations. Each 13 ft. high of reinforced concrete on a 6 by 6 ft solid concrete base, built in 1950 under direction of Rev. Peter Minwegen, O.M.I. blessed that same year by Rev. Coleman Borgard. O.F.M. of Hermann, Mo. ~ Church of the Risen Savior
"The Fourteen Stations of the Cross (1889 - photos #12-13) originally were only
drawings of scenes from the life of Christ placed in the woods. In 1901 more permanent
stations were constructed of brick on stone foundations with stone images inserted,
carved by A. T. Kaletta of St. Louis, Missouri. By 1950 these stations had deteriorated
and were replaced by reinforced concrete monoliths on bases of solid concrete into which
Kaletta's images were inserted." ~ NRHP Nomination form