A Mime For The Stations Of The Cross Service

The following mime outlines the stations of the cross. It may be used in conjunction with either of the two previous services, or in conjunction with another service presented earlier in this section.

The only spoken word is done by a girl who merely stands at the microphone and announces each station. The children then proceed to act out each station in turn. At the end of the fifteenth station, after everyone has left the setting, the narrator slips out, too. Pontius Pilate walks out with two guards smaller than he. They start at the right side and walk in front of the altar. Pilate condemns Jesus to death by crossing his hands and then turns to the right where the first guard washes this hands. Then the three of them walk up behind the altar and Pilate sits in a chair with a guard standing on either side of him. They remain in that position until the tenth station. The guards return in the eleventh station. Jesus slowly walks towards Pilate—the expression on his face is sad when the cross is presented. With a guard on either side he walks to and fro. He is like one chained. His first fall appears painful. The meeting with his mother, Mary, is tender, and he slowly blesses her. Then Simon is pulled into the team to help carry the cross. Veronica walks to Jesus: she kneels and wipes his face. She then goes to the center, faces the congregation, and stands poised, holding up her arms to display the imaginary towel. Women of Jerusalem come in. Those nearest Jesus kneel and he warily motions to them. They slowly turn and retreat. The guards with Jesus and Simon take care to lift the cross to the other shoulder as Christ walks back and forth. One of the guards lifts his hand as if to strike Christ occasionally. With each fall Jesus falls into more of a slump, trying to display more and more pain and exhaustion. At the tenth station Jesus is in the center and the guards painfully strip him of his garments. Two guards hold the cross behind Jesus and another guard slowly pretends to hammer nails into his hands. At the twelfth station, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John come and stand at the foot of the cross. Jesus slowly dies; he raises his head and eyes upward, and then closing his eyes, he bows his head and dies. Mary and her companions walk away. She sits on a bench and the other two stand behind her. Then all the guards gather round the cross and pretend to carry Jesus off and place him on the bench in his mother's arms. For the fourteenth station the guards again gather around Jesus. With hands raised in position for carrying someone, they make way to the tomb which is behind the altar. Then the guards take their places on and around the altar as if they were guarding a tomb. At the fifteenth station Christ, robed in white, slowly walks out and around the altar. As this is done the guards motion as if they see a dazzling light and fall gently to the floor. As Christ passes, each guard is motionless until he has returned to the tomb. One by one the mimists leave the sanctuary.