St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church has new cross

IC photo/Linda Petersen

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An anonymous parishioner constructed this cross for St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church in Taylorsville.

TAYLORSVILLE — A new 12-foot cross on the north face of the St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church heralds the faith of parishioners for all the world to see.

The cross was constructed and installed by a parishioner who wishes to remain anonymous.

“He’s just that kind of man,” said Msgr. Joubran BouMerhi, pastor.

With its three bars, the cross is a representation of the Antiochian Cross traditionally associated with the Maronite Church and used in Church buildings across the world, he said. The Antiochian Cross is also associated with 4th century Roman Emperor Constantine, who converted to Christianity.

While the cross at St. Jude Maronite has the appearance of wood, it is actually a 1 ½-inch thin wall square steel tubing frame covered with a 1/16-inch-thick steel shell on the front facing side. The surface is coated with a rubberized exterior grade finish. It is 9 feet wide at its widest point.

The three-bar design is symbolic of the nature of God: one God in the three Persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Msgr. BouMerhi said. It also represents the role of the Maronite Church in the Catholic Church in the relationship between the pope, the patriarch of the Maronite Church and the bishop of the Catholic diocese.

The building that now is St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church is a former Protestant church that was renovated last year to be more fitting for Catholic services. It opened in March without a cross on the building. Msgr. BouMehri said he had hoped to pay to have a cross constructed, but after the pandemic shut down churches and, even now with returning parishioners slowed to a trickle due to health restrictions, he has seen his budget decimated.

A couple of months ago, he was talking about this situation with a few parishioners when one of them volunteered to build a cross himself. He worked on it over the next several weeks and installed it at the church in early October.

The cross is a joyous symbol of the faith, Msgr. BouMerhi said.

“It reminds me of Jesus’ love for me,” he said. “It is a reminder to me of the Good News, a reminder to me to live the Good News and to be faithful to Jesus as a Christian and share with others my joy that Jesus loves us all and that I love him too. The most important is it reminds me of his life, death and resurrection. If we look at the cross and we say we love it, but we don’t live in harmony with the Good News, that’s not worth much.”

Returning parishioners have been impressed with the cross, said Msgr. BouMerhi, who hopes it will be a beacon of faith to the larger community.

“Hopefully, some people will get curious and stop by and see the community – not the walls,” he said. “To me, the church is OK, the building is OK, but it is the way we treat each other, the way we live our faith as followers of Christ, that is important.”

Although parish funds are extremely limited, parishioners did receive some good news recently. They raised the money to qualify for a matching grant of $10,000 offered by the Catholic Extension Society, which will be put toward paying off the renovation of the new building, Msgr. BouMerhi said.