Unique Stations of the Cross at San Felipe Parish

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Editor’s Note: Many of the Stations of the Cross in local parishes have a unique history. What follows is one such  story.

WENDOVER – On a hill in the desert near the Utah/Nevada state line are 14 tall, plain wooden crosses that face San Felipe Catholic Church, a reminder of the path that Jesus trod on his way to Calvary.

The parish’s unique outdoor Stations of the Cross were constructed in 2006 by the parishioners under the guidance and support of Father Shouraiah Pudota, then administrator of San Felipe Parish.

Since then, every Friday evening during Lent, local Catholics celebrate the Stations of the Cross.

The Stations on the hill make an impression, said Fr. Pudota in an interview with this newspaper in 2006, shortly before the project was completed.

“They emphasize the desert experiences Jesus undertook during his life – the whole idea of going apart from everyone and into the desert to pray,” he said.

The setting also reflects the suffering Jesus experienced on his way to Calvary.

“It reminds you of the desert, of how Jesus had to suffer by himself for all of us,” said Lupita Quintanilla, a San Felipe parishioner.

The crosses remind Quintana of how, despite all the adversities and sufferings, God is always present in Wendover, she said.

“We have lived through the hardest challenges that I can remember [due to COVID-19] and the crosses always remind me that God is here with us,” she said.

The crosses, each about 15 feet tall, are fixed into the hill in cement. In 2009, under the guidance of a new administrator, Fr. German Umana, the parishioners once more joined forces, this time to build a stone stairway to make an easier access to the hill.

The roots of the Stations of the Cross date back to the 4th century, when pilgrims to the Holy Land tried to follow the same route that Jesus walked toward Calvary. Modern Catholic churches have 14 stations either inside or on the grounds; during Lent, many parishes have a Stations of the Cross each Friday.