Haec est Via: This is the Way

Haec est Via: This is the Way

The Way of the First Christians
Long before the name “Christian” was first spoken at Antioch (Acts 11:26), the disciples of Jesus were known as followers of the Way. Sacred Scripture tells us that Saul hunted those “who belonged to the Way” (Acts 9:2), and St Paul himself confessed before Felix, “According to the Way, which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers” (Acts 24:14). To be of the Way meant to live differently: to walk in the footsteps of Christ, to follow His teaching, and to share His Cross.

Jesus Himself declared: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life: no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). To follow Him is not simply to believe something in the mind, but to take up a path of life that changes the heart, the family, and the community.

The Apostolic Greeting of the ORA
As members of the Old Roman Apostolate, we keep alive this ancient understanding of our Faith as a Way. To remind ourselves of this truth, clergy and faithful together use a simple greeting:
V. Via Crucis! (The Way of the Cross!)
R. Hæc est Via! (This is the Way!)

This exchange is not for show, nor for the outside world. It is an internal sign of identity, a reminder to us who belong to the Apostolate that our Christian life is nothing less than the Way of the Cross (cf. Matthew 16:24). By using it among ourselves, we declare that we are walking together in fidelity to Christ, in union with the saints who have gone before us, and in hope of eternal life.

What It Means

• To answer Hæc est Via is to say: “I know that the Cross is my path, and I embrace it as the only road to salvation.”
• It is to confess that the Catholic Faith, lived in its fullness and Tradition, is not one way among many, but the authentic Way of life.
• It is to identify ourselves with the Apostolic Church of old, which held fast to doctrine, sacrament, and discipline as the narrow path to heaven (cf. Matthew 7:14).

Guidance for the Faithful

• Use this greeting joyfully with clergy and fellow members of the Apostolate, especially at gatherings, missions, or pilgrimages.
• Let it remind you daily that your baptismal calling is a walk — a journey along Christ’s Way.
• Do not use it as a slogan, but as a prayerful confession: a small act of faith spoken aloud.
• When you respond Hæc est Via, remember that you are answering not only a friend or priest, but Christ Himself, who calls you: “Follow Me” (Matthew 9:9).

Living the Way
Hæc est Via is not merely a phrase, but a way of living. To walk this Way means:

• Faithfulness to daily prayer and the sacraments.
• Obedience to God’s commandments and the teachings of the Church.
• Charity in words and deeds, especially towards the poor and the suffering.
• Courage to bear witness, even when opposed or misunderstood.

Conclusion
In a world of many voices and many paths, we know there is only one Way that leads to life: Christ Himself. To say Hæc est Via is to profess that we are His disciples, that we walk together as His Church, and that we embrace the Cross as the true road to glory.

May this greeting strengthen our unity, deepen our identity, and remind us always that the Old Roman Apostolate walks the ancient Catholic Way, the only Way that leads to the Father. 🔝