Catholic Students Resurrect Symbol of Hope After Vandals Tear Down Cross
A hilltop cross overlooking the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa, Cardinal Newman High School, and St. Rose Catholic School was cut down in an act of vandalism. The sisters prayed for the person responsible, for reparation, and for God to bring good from the incident. Cardinal Newman students quickly rallied to raise money for the cross’s restoration, and football players carried and re-erected it on Oct. 14. Bishop Robert Vasa said the students’ response showed how deeply the cross was identified with by the local community.
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A hilltop cross in Santa Rosa, California, was cut down in an act of vandalism, unsettling the Marian Sisters who live nearby. Students, sisters, schoolchildren, and local contractors later joined in carrying and reinstalling a replacement, turning the restoration into a community gathering. 1
The cross overlooks the Marian Sisters’ convent, Cardinal Newman High School, and St. Rose Catholic School. Bishop Robert Vasa said the sisters were distressed both by the damage to a sacred symbol and by the discovery that a stranger had entered their property. 1
The sisters prayed at the fallen cross for forgiveness for the person responsible, in reparation for the desecration, and that good might come from the incident, Sister Mary Emmanuel said. 1
Cardinal Newman students noticed the cross was gone and quickly expressed concern and interest in raising money for its replacement, Vasa said. The cross also held a place in school life: freshmen hike to it during retreats, and the illuminated landmark is visible from the football field during nighttime sporting events. 1
On Oct. 14, football players carried a new, 400-pound aluminum cross up the steep hill. Students from both schools, the Marian Sisters, and contractors from J Warner Enterprises also took part; local members of the Lind family fabricated the replacement. 1
After the cross was installed, Bishop Vasa blessed it. Three student altar servers assisted with the blessing, according to Cardinal Newman chaplain Father Christopher Girolo. 1
Sister Margaret Mary said she was glad students from both schools could participate, and described the team’s work, the students’ reverence, and the contractors’ help as part of the day’s significance. Vasa said the restoration brought camaraderie, fellowship, unity, and grace, and that students involved would remember helping carry and restore the cross. 1
At the gathering, Vasa told those present, “The cross, however, endures; the love of Christ endures.” Sister Margaret Mary said she hopes the cross will remain a sign of hope for passersby and a reminder of God’s love. 1
The Cross embodies communal hope and Christian witness
The Cross embodies communal hope because it proclaims that suffering, violence, and death do not have the final word. Christian hope does not treat suffering as good in itself: it rests on the inseparable bond between Christ’s Cross and Resurrection, through which God’s self-giving love transforms suffering and opens the way to new life.
That hope is communal, not merely private. The Cross calls Christians to stand with people who suffer and to turn isolation into communion through concrete care and solidarity. Pope Benedict XVI described it as a sign of hope for the oppressed, the sick, the poor, and victims of violence—not because it erases their suffering, but because it proclaims God’s power to transform it.
The Cross also gives Christian witness its shape. It is not simply an emblem to display; it calls believers to imitate Christ’s humble, self-sacrificing love. Pope Francis put the point sharply: “the cross is not a flag to wave, but the pure source of a new way of living.” Christian witness is credible when it rejects hatred and self-advantage and instead serves others as brothers and sisters.
In that light, restoring a vandalized cross can be a public sign of shared hope and steadfast faith. Its meaning is deepest, however, not in the object alone but in the community’s response: prayer, solidarity, and love that refuses to answer harm with hatred. The Cross bears witness to hope when it leads people toward that way of life.