APRIL 2024

FEATURE
Holy Cross!
New 35-foot monument in San Diego
BY CAL ABBO
Atop Rancho San Diego Hill sits the California
Chaldean community’s most recent achievement:
A 35-foot tall, 20,000-pound Chaldeanstyle
cross pierces the landscape for thousands to see.
Last year, on December 14, 2023, the largest cross
in San Diego was airdropped into place by a Chinook
heavy-lift helicopter. After nearly four years of hard
work, negotiations with the county, and fielding
questions and opposition from the public, the cross
stands tall as a testament to and memorial for the
hardships and persecution that Chaldeans and all
Christians have faced.
Vince Kattoula is a San-Diego based land use
consultant and registered lobbyist who specializes in
large projects like this that require extensive permitting
and government approval. In 2019, Samad Attisha
approached him, who had purchased land on
this hill in order to place a cross on it.
“This property is about 80 acres, with very rugged
terrain, completely surrounded with sensitive and endangered
species,” Kattoula said, explaining how difficult
it was to get approval to build anything on the land.
“In fact, it’s adjacent to the national wildlife refuge.”
Mountain lions, rattlesnakes, golden eagles, and
other dangerous animals frequent the property. Poor
terrain meant the cross could not be moved over the
ground. These issues, nor any others, would not stop
Kattoula and Attisha from reaching their goal and establishing
the site of the cross on this large hill.
The hill’s location is significant too. It stands on
the highest peak in the Rancho San Diego area across
from a large Chaldean neighborhood where many admirers
can see the cross at all times of the day and
night. It means a lot, then, that the cross is designed
in a distinct Chaldean style. Its features hearken back
to that of the ancient churches, with three red circles
on each point, imitating what Chaldeans are used to
seeing in their own communities.
Attisha conceived the idea from the beginning when
he purchased the property. His reasons for pursuing the
project range from his personal faith experience to honoring
persecuted Christians around the world.
“It’s hard to describe the feeling,” Attisha said,
reflecting on how he feels since the project was completed
and the cross was installed. “The cross gives
me ongoing pleasure. Ongoing happiness. I can see
it from every part of my house. I cannot help but to
be happy.”
Attisha gets frequent thanks from his neighbors
who revere the cross and pray to it daily, but he defers
the glory to God. “What else could someone wish in
his life besides achieving a project like that?”
Sam Attisha and Vince Kattoula in front of the cross.
San Diego has some history with putting crosses
on top of mountains. Since 1913, Mt. Soledad in La
Jolla has been home to a few different styles of crosses
over the years. The original cross was stolen and
later burned; a second cross was blown down in
1952; the present cross was installed in 1954.
There was some public and legal opposition to
the cross over the years that caused some problems.
For a long period, it was unclear whether the cross
was a war memorial or a symbol of the Christian religion,
legally speaking. Finally, in 2015, a private organization
purchased the land from the Department of
Defense, which resolved its legal issues and helped
pave the way for future crosses like Attisha’s.
Kattoula negotiated with the county to get out of
the various permits that, if required, would grind the
project to a halt and increase its costs significantly.
The biggest issue that remained was how to transport
the massive cross to the top of the hill. While there
was a road leading up to the designated area, it was
far too small to carry the cross all the way up, so Attisha
suggested a Chinook helicopter.
Normally, helicopters cannot carry anything of
this size, but Kattoula found a company in Washington
with aircraft that can airlift up to 25,000 pounds
with a Chinook helicopter. After his own firm designed
the cross, he found a great partner in Coastline
Steel to manufacture and deliver it. In its fabrication,
Coastline Steel used a welding technique called
complete joint penetration, which makes the connections
extremely strong and stable, essentially making
it one solid piece of steel.
When the Chinook helicopter arrived at the site with
the cross, Kattoula and his team realized the wind from
the helicopter would make it impossible to secure the
cross standing up, so they laid it down gently. Later,
they brought a crane to hold it while his team bolted it
down in the foundation. By pure chance, according to
Kattoula, the cross happens to be facing true North.
This is not the end of the project, however, nor the
hassle from various government agencies. Kattoula had
to find a way to light up the cross at night without getting
approval for a permanent fixture. To that end, he
brought some construction lights and a diesel generator
to the cross. Every morning, someone hikes to the site
and turns the light on. Every night, someone returns to
turn it off. Every few days, someone fills the generator
with fuel. Kattoula is working with a team of electrical
engineers to design an off-grid solar-powered battery
that will light up the cross at night automatically.
In addition, Kattoula and Attisha have plans to
add various features to the site. For example, they
envision a “crown of thorns” by placing a fence with
barbs surrounding the cross. They also plan to include
a centerpiece that will feature the heart of Jesus
and the heart of mercy.
Attisha mentioned two people specifically whom
he called his “heroes” and dedicated the cross to.
Each is a martyr in the Chaldean Church and was a
victim of a brutal murder.
Fr. Ragheed Ganni was killed in June 2007 after
receiving multiple death threats. Walking out of his
church, Holy Spirit Chaldean Church in Mosul, he and
a few deacons were stopped by a group of armed men.
According to news reports, when asked why he hadn’t
closed the church like he was ordered to, Fr. Ragheed
replied, “How can I close the house of God?” He and
his colleagues were shot down shortly after.
Bishop Paulos Faraj Rahho was kidnapped and
killed in Mosul in early 2008. Bishop Rahho was taken
from his car after his kidnappers killed two of his bodyguards.
Reports say that Bishop Rahho got on his cell
phone and asked the church not to pay his ransom because
the money would be used to do more evil things.
Two weeks later, his body was found in a shallow grave.
These stories among others inform Attisha’s devout
worship and faith. “Hopefully, the cross will be
there for thousands of years,” he said. Attisha added
a special thanks to the Chaldean community in Michigan,
which played a huge role in spreading the word
about the cross and celebrating its installation.
While the cross is not open to the public, there is
a path to walk there. It’s a narrow trail and there are
some dangerous animals on the way, according to Kattoula.
Nobody is stopping anyone from making the
trek, he added, if someone wanted to take their chances.
He and his family walk up there a few times a week.
“We have so many people in our community that
are successful and have humble roots,” Kattoula said.
“This is the tallest cross in San Diego and it serves
as an inspiration. It serves as a reminder to look up
and thank God for all the blessings he’s bestowed on
our families, on our community, and on the people
around us.”
22 CHALDEAN NEWS APRIL 2024