CRANBERRY TWP — It’s a mostly new cast and crew putting on the Living Stations presentation this year, but the message is unchanged.

Andrea Wheeler, the director of middle and high school ministry at St. Kilian Roman Catholic Church, 7076 Franklin Road, has presented The Living Stations, the Stations of the Cross in tableaux form, for 26 years, but this year, she’s using sixth- through 12th-graders from Holy Sepulcher and St. Kilian Catholic schools.

“The Stations are the 14 steps that Jesus took through his Passion and death. Living Stations adds Palm Sunday and the Resurrection,” said Wheeler.

“It’s a prayer service, not a play, that depicts the life, Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus,” she said.

She said a Living Stations presentation is a meditation, not an entertainment.

The young cast of 34 presents a series of tableaux, a statue-like grouping of persons or objects representing a scene, such as “The Last Supper” or “The Scourging.” There is no dialogue. The actors portraying Jesus, the soldiers and onlookers are silent and unmoving as music plays and a reader explains the scene.

Living Stations uses lights and music plus special effects to enact the hourlong presentation at St. Kilian Roman Catholic Church.

“It’s a little crazy pulling it all together. Many stepped forward to help monetarily and in kind. It was a team effort for sure,” said Wheeler.

The young cast and an adult team of 20 have been working since January to get the presentation into shape, a task not made easier by the fact the production had to make costumes and props from scratch.

“Everything you see, the risers, the lighting, the costumes, the props, were put together since January,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler credits the success of this edition of Living Stations to the efforts of volunteers who sewed the costumes, those who donated the risers, and especially DeWayne Segafredo who donated the lighting. She thanked the Rev. Charles Bober, the pastor of St. Kilian and Holy Sepulcher for supporting the effort.

“We take everybody, anybody who wants to be involved,” she said. “A handful have done this before, but many have never even seen a Living Stations,” Wheeler said.

Rehearsals of the cast started at the end of January running from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the sanctuary of Holy Sepulcher Church in Middlesex Township.

One of the few veterans in the cast was Abby Kress, 18, of Cranberry Township, who has been involved with Living Stations in its previous location since she was in eighth grade.

The Seneca Valley High School senior is playing Mary in this year’s Living Stations.

“I fell in love with it ever since my first year. I’ve been doing it every year since because it is such an amazing experience,” Abby said.

Even without having to memorize dialogue, Abby said it takes a lot of preparation to play a part in one of the scenes that make up the production. Even then, it’s tough standing stock still while a reader finishes the narration.

“It takes a lot of practice. It’s hard staring into the lights,” said Abby.

And, she said, holding poses in multiple scenes can be surprisingly difficult.

“Your muscles cramp up. It is very hard to stand with an outstretched arm pointing in a crowd scene,” she said. Some of the scenes last from five to eight minutes depending on the monologues that accompany them.

For Daniel Hartle, 13, an eighth-grader at Holy Sepulcher School, and his brother, Judah, 12, it’s a first time for taking part in the Living Stations.

“They were low on people, and my dad asked me and my brother if we wanted to be in it,” said Daniel, who has dual roles of Simon of Cyrene as well as Peter the apostle.

“I change costumes. I come out from Peter. Simon is in a few scenes later,” he said.

Daniel also said the scenes can be hard to maintain physically. “Certain scenes ... when I’m holding the cross. It’s not too hard, but it’s heavy. People shake at times, but you can’t do anything about it.”

For Maggie Monahan, 17, of Cranberry Township, it’s her fourth year of being involved in Living Stations.

“Living Stations is very important. It’s a way to live my faith with other people my age,” she said.

The company has taken Living Stations to other churches every Sunday in Lent, packing the costumes, equipment, scenery and props in a bus and a truck and taking the production to churches in Pittsburgh, Leechburg and Point Breeze.

Maggie said, “I think we’ve gotten a very positive response. We stand at the back of the church when it’s over and thank them for coming. They tell us how moving the prayer service is and how glad they are they came.”

Daniel said of the trips to other churches, “It’s kind of fun. You get to see all the churches. During the ride, you can talk to your friends.”

Living Stations had a final presentation at 8 p.m. on Good Friday at St. Kilian before the costumes and props were put away for another year.

“It’ll be kind of weird on Sundays to have nothing to do,” Daniel said.

Wheeler said, “For me, we tell our students all the time to focus on the message, so that people know how much Jesus loves them and they pass along his hope and promise.

“It’s also important for them to see that they are an important part of the church and the ministry, so they get involved in their parish.”