Stations & Icons

This page shows the Stations of the Cross and some of the icons that are to be found in St Peter's.  The purpose of these images in the Church is to act as visual aids on our spiritual journey and to focus our thoughts and prayers.  The church is usually open during the daytime; our Stations and Icons are best viewed within the church in a prayerful atmosphere.  St Peter's has a large set of icons and these pages will show some of those that have recently been displayed.   

Stations of the Cross

Our current Stations of the Cross were presented to St Peter's on indefinite loan by the nearby Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church. They came from the second Roman Catholic Church in Devizes. St Francis de Sales in Brickley Lane, which in April 2009 became the Cornerstones Community Centre.  The 14 Stations, numbered I to XIV  are arranged around the walls of the church as shown on the plan below:

Thumbnails of the Stations are show below.  To see a larger picture click on the thumbnail.

Icons

St Paul

Pope Benedict XVI declared June 2008 to June 2009 to be  the year of St. Paul in celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the saint's birth.  Pope Benedict said that this year had to have an  "ecumenical dimension", since "The Apostle of the Gentiles, who dedicated himself to the spreading of the good news to all peoples, spent himself for the unity and harmony of all Christians".

This icon was on display in St Peter’s for the whole of the ‘Pauline Year’ . 

To celebrate the end of the Pauline Year a selection of readings from his Epistles entitled A Bouquet from St Paul was added to Bishop Andrew's Ebbsfleet Extra newsletter for June 2009.  To download a copy of this selection of St Paul's most important texts click here.

St Peter

This icon was presented to the church by Mrs Estelle Holloway. 

                                        St John Vianney

2009 marks the 150th anniversary of the death of St John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, and in his honour Pope Benedict declared the year beginning June 19th, 2009 ‘The Year for Priests’. For 40 years St John Vianney served with great humility as parish priest (curé) in the village of Ars-sur-Formans, near Lyons. His dedication to his parishioners and the Blessed Sacrament drew as a many as 20,000 pilgrims a year to Ars during his lifetime.

This icon will be displayed in St Peter’s for a year.

A book of prayer and devotions may be obtained from the publishers, Family Publication, for £4.50. Click the image on the right to order from their website.
Copies may be bought in St Peter’s at the bulk buying rate £2.50.

Pope Benedict is quoted in the Introduction as saying:
Thinking of priests in love with the Eucharist, we cannot forget St John Mary Vianney, the humble parish priest of Ars ... With the holiness of his life and his pastoral zeal, he succeeded in making that little village a model Christian community, enlivened by the Word of God and by the Sacraments.