“In a world in which progress and regression are intertwined, the Cross of Christ remains an anchor of salvation: a sign of hope that does not disappoint because it is founded on the love of God, merciful and faithful” (Pope Francis, General Audience, Piazza San Pietro – 21 September 2022).
In cathedrals and co-cathedrals around the world, the opening of the Jubilee Year 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope took place Dec. 28-29. The Vatican issued specific instructions about how the inauguration Mass was to be celebrated, including requiring that a cross of significance to the Diocese be used in the opening ceremony.
Father Timothy A. Christy, rector of the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, explained that, unlike Jubilee 2000, which allowed for Holy Doors to be the outward symbols of the year, “this Jubilee Year it would be a large cross placed in the sanctuary of cathedrals throughout the world which would serve as the focal sign of the Jubilee Year, marking the cathedral as a principal pilgrimage site for the local Church.”
The Diocese’s Jubilee Cross was commissioned by Father Roy Quesea, diocesan vice chancellor and priest secretary to Bishop James F. Checchio.
Every cathedral has its own story about their Jubilee Cross. Ours, in the Diocese of Metuchen, starts with the gift of an old, battered crucifix with the right arm broken into pieces. Father Quesea recalled: “Just days before her retirement as director of the Office of Discipleship Formation for Children in 2023, Carol Mascola gave me the crucifix in pretty bad shape. It had been sitting in my office since June of last year, and only in December did I have the opportunity to begin working on its restoration. I had no idea where it would end up hanging until Father Tim Christy asked me about a cross for the opening of the Jubilee Year. I reached out to a good carpenter who agreed to work on the wooden cross and base for free, and the corpus I was restoring fit perfectly. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Father Quesea discovered that the original crucifix, which is more than 100 years old, came from St. Mary’s Hospital, located in Hoboken. It belonged to the religious order of Franciscan sisters who staffed the hospital until its closing and hung in their chapel. Mascola’s brother, Daniel Curin Jr., who is now deceased, worked at the hospital from the age of 16 and was employed there some 30 years, until it closed. Mascola said, “He was very close to the sisters and would be so happy to know the cross has been restored.”
The work of restoring the crucifix for its role as the Jubilee Cross was especially meaningful, said Father Quesea. “For me, restoring the corpus of the crucifix was challenging, but not as challenging as restoring justice in the Church (the Corpus/Body of Christ) during a Jubilee Year – a significant theme that aligns with the goals of reconciliation, healing, and renewal, which are central to the spirit of Jubilee in Christian tradition,” he said. “More than a privilege and honor, it is a blessing to spend time reflecting on Jesus’s paschal mystery while working on the broken image, and to thank God for the gift of talent. Thank God for the Jubilee Year!”
The Cathedral of St. Francis plans to host several opportunities throughout the year where public Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as well as increased hours of Confessions will be made available to assist pilgrims in entering into the spirit and intention of this year, said Father Christy, adding, “Our Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi is joyful to welcome participants throughout the year to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s redemption He won for us on Calvary.”