CROSS OF GRATITUDE
at
Presentation of Our Lord Ukrainian Catholic Church
VISITATION
October 22 thru October 29, 2023
1:00 – 7:00 PM Sunday – Saturday
All are welcome to come to our church during visitation hours
to view the Cross and pray for peace in our world.
THE MISSION OF THE THANKSGIVING CROSS
(aka CROSS OF GRATITUDE)
Vitaliy Sobolivka, of the city of Lviv in Ukraine, carved the Cross after a calling he received on Easter Sunday 2003. The words he heard were “Take My Cross and Carry it to all of the Capital cities of the world as a sign of gratitude for the salvation we receive through Jesus Christ”.
The mission has been blessed by three Popes. In 2004, the mission and its initiators were blessed by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. In 2006, it was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI during a pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland and again in 2012 at the Vatican in Rome. Pope Francis blessed the cross in 2016 at the Vatican.
The mission of the Cross is dedicated to the 2000th Jubilee of the Crucifixion, death & resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be celebrated in 2033. It travels to all capitals of the world with the hope of uniting all nations into one family before the Cross of Jesus Christ who suffered for every one of us.
The Cross is carved from Ukrainian oak and weighs ~800 lbs. Its pilgrimage has taken it to 46 Capitals throughout Eastern & Western Europe including Lviv, Kiev, Warsaw, Prague, Vienna, Brussels, Stockholm, Vilnius, Madrid, Dublin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Zagreb, Andorra la Vella, Lisbon, Oslo, Athens, Reykjavik, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, London, and the Vatican. It has been visited by King Albert II of Belgium, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, and the President of Latvia. While in the US, the Cross has visited the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle in Washington, DC and the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family, St Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC, the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Peter & Paul in Philadelphia, PA, and churches in Chicago & New Jersey.
Future pilgrimages are hoped to travel to Canada, Central & South Americas and then on to Asia, Africa, Indonesia, & Australia covering an additional 160 capitals of the world. Since the beginning of the pilgrimage, it has been carried by men & women of many faiths including Christian, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim & Buddhist.
Our wish is that all people give thanks to God for what Jesus did for us. We take many things for granted that we should be thankful for, and we hope that everyone shows their gratitude for his sufferings. We pray for peace all over the world.
Along with his team, Vitaly has entrusted the Cross’s pilgrimage to Divine Providence. We rely on the goodwill of local people to host the Cross & help its journey to the next location.
We pray that God bless all of you and especially want to thank all spiritual and secular persons for their help in the Mission of the Thanking Cross in all of the Capitals of the world.