WILKES-BARRE – Each Friday during Lent, the faithful gather at Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish for a tradition that blends prayer, sacrifice and fellowship.
Known as ‘Stations and Soup,’ the weekly gathering begins with Stations of the Cross at Saint Aloysius Church at 12:10 p.m., followed by a simple meatless meal shared among parishioners and visitors.
“It’s a meager meal,” Father Richard Cirba, pastor of Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish, said. “During Lent, there is obviously no meat on Friday, so the people who make the soup prepare things like clam chowder or cream of broccoli.”
While the meal offers nourishment, the focus of each week’s gathering remains on the centuries-old devotion of the Stations of the Cross, which invites the faithful to reflect on Christ’s journey to Calvary.
“The Stations are a powerful devotion because they allow us to walk the road with Jesus – the 14 Stations of the Cross,” Father Cirba explained. “We do it out of love for Him and because He died for our sins and for our salvation.”
Following the prayer service, parishioners gather to share soup, bread, and conversation.
“We usually have five different types of soup,” parishioner Peg Warmouth said. “It’s nice because it gets people together that we don’t see every day because we all go to different Masses. We also have people who don’t belong to our parish who come. Everybody is welcome.”
Barbara Flora, another parishioner who helps prepare soup for the gathering, said the meal reflects the spirit of sacrifice that marks the Lenten season.
“It is my little offering that I can do, and I bring it here to share it with people,” Flora said.
For many participants, the gathering offers more than a meal – it provides an opportunity to build relationships within the parish community.
“One of the sweetest things is the camaraderie,” Flora added. “You get a chance to speak with people that you don’t get a chance to see during the week. You see them at Mass, and you see them for Stations – but you don’t know their names yet – so you can sit with them and enjoy being together with one another.”
In a busy world, Father Cirba believes the ‘Stations and Soup’ tradition offers an opportunity to pause, pray, and remember the meaning of the Lenten season.
“We live in a world that is in desperate need of peace and justice,” he said. “This is one of my favorite devotions during Lent because it helps us to grow in our love for Jesus and the cross.”