Following last Thursday’s successful and visually stunning Chinook helicopter lift of the region’s tallest cross over otherwise inaccessible terrain in Rancho San Diego, the 36-foot, ten ton steel structure was raised by crane and bolted into place Friday afternoon.
The large Chaldean Holy Cross, made possible by Samad and Evone Attisha and their family, is a memorial for persecuted Christians in both Iraq and the broader Middle East. The cross sits on property owned by the Attishas, overlooking the area near Jamul Drive and Steele Canyon Road.
Vince Kattoula of Kattoula & Associates oversaw the entire project, first envisioned in 2019.
“Over the last several decades, Christians in Iraq and throughout the Middle East have been persecuted simply because of their faith,” said Sam Attisha. “The Chaldean Cross serves as a symbolic memorial for those martyrs that were murdered because of their love for our Lord Jesus Christ. My family and I are blessed with the opportunity to have made this possible on behalf of the entire Chaldean Community.”
Sam Attisha (left) and Vince Kattoula (right)
The effort to design, construct and fly into place the cross, while navigating a challenging permitting and approval process, was successful with the help of Kattoula’s expertise in land use, permitting, and approval processes.
“At over 35 feet tall and almost 20,000 pounds, the cross’ magnitude is unmatched throughout the region,” said Kattoula. “Overcoming bureaucratic hurdles, ensuring structural integrity, fabricating the entire cross out of one piece of carbon steel and constructing the foundation of the Chaldean Cross was not an easy feat, but our team is blessed with several highly skilled individuals, all of whom played a crucial role in ensuring this project’s success.”
A large photo of the cross was featured on the cover of The San Diego Union-Tribune Friday, with the helicopter lift in the Visual Storytelling section. Local social media groups, including Facebook and NextDoor, were alive with overwhelmingly positive comments from hundreds in the community throughout the weekend.
More details on the Chaldean Holy Cross.
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Vince Kattoula is available to describe the complex process to usher the project to success. Contact him through Barry Jantz.
Jantz is a community affairs consultant. He lives in Jamul and is blessed to see the cross from his home.
Comments 3
God bless everyone involved.
This is just awesome.
God bless Mr. And Mrs. Attisha
This is just beautiful! We just heard about this today and drive by to see it. Amazing! Thank you a thousand times for doing this. Bless you and your family.