The Ukrainian Cross of Gratitude, currently on display at St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in East Baltimore through Nov. 15, began with a spiritual vision experienced in 2003 by Ukraine native and cross creator Vitaliy Sobolivska.
“I had a vision,” Sobolivska said in an interview with the Catholic Review translated by his daughter, Sofiya Sobolivska. “I heard a voice from Jesus: ‘Take my cross and carry him to all capital cities of the world.’ That’s how everything started.”
The vision came to him on Velykden, known as Orthodox Easter in Ukraine, he said.
About six months after the spiritual encounter, his vision became a reality. Sobolivska, along with other craftsmen, created the 800-pound, 16-foot-by-8-foot cross, made of oak and black elder wood.
Since 2003, the cross has been on a worldwide pilgrimage. St. Michael’s pastor, Father Yuriy Pylypchak, first learned about the cross and its mission during a clergy retreat.
“The cross is not a symbol of suffering; it’s a symbol of hope. With love, we can build a better future. We can build and bring something better to the world,” Father Pylypchak said.
Father Pylypchak explained that since the war began in Ukraine, the parish has been sending supplies overseas to those in need. Parishioners of St. Michael and Ukrainians in the greater Baltimore area have been going through “secondary trauma” because of the war, he said.
“It’s a tragedy. We are going through a very difficult time, and everyone who is from the Ukrainian community, or even outside of the Ukrainian community, feels this weight of the war,” he said.
Father Pylypchak hopes visitors can have a “private, intimate connection” with the cross and reflect on its mission.
Although Father Pylypchak said he does not expect any miracles to come from the cross, he encourages visitors to continue reflecting and praying amid the war in Ukraine.
“I really believe that hope is a very central part. We never can lose hope. Because when we lose hope, we will lose our identity,” Father Pylypchak said.
Since the start of its pilgrimage, the cross has visited 46 European countries and various locations across the United States. The organizers also have plans to travel with the cross to Canada, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Australia, reaching more than 160 capital cities.
The cross has been blessed by three popes: St. John Paul II at the Vatican in 2004; Pope Benedict XVI in Poland in 2006 and again at the Vatican in 2012; and Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2016.
The Ukrainian Cross of Gratitude may be visited Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 during Divine Liturgy at 8:15 a.m., Nov. 12 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., or Nov. 15 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Parishes is interested in hosting the Ukrainian Cross of Gratitude may email vitaliyarhitekt@gmail.com.
Email Jenna Mattern at jmattern@CatholicReview.org
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