An Arkansas deacon crafted the Jubilee Cross that will be a symbol of the Holy Year for the Diocese of Little Rock.
Deacon Mark Verkamp, assistant to the director of diaconate formation and deacon at Sacred Heart Church in Charleston, said creating the cross that can be carried or displayed on a table was “awe-inspiring” since it includes a relic from the cross believed to be carried by Jesus before his death and resurrection.
Verkamp, whose middle name is Joseph, has been a carpenter for 40 years. He made custom woodwork for homes for decades but now has pivoted to creating liturgical furnishings for churches, including his home parish, St. Leo the Great University Parish in Russellville and St. Louis Church in Camden.
“Having a piece of the True Cross was quite surreal, you might say, having it here in my shop and it’s in my possession,” he said. “It’s quite awe-inspiring just thinking Jesus carried this piece of wood. He hung on this piece of wood. He died on it. I was thinking all these things when I was building this Jubilee Cross.”
The three-foot wooden cross was unveiled at St. Edward Church in Little Rock Dec. 29 when the cross was carried down the streets of downtown Little Rock in a procession to the Cathedral of St. Andrew. While the universal Church opened the Holy Year on Dec. 24, local dioceses had their own celebrations Dec. 29. The Jubilee Year continues through Jan. 6, 2026.
Seminarians and a deacon held a canopy over the cross, carried by different diocesan priests. Other priests led about 200 people in praying a bilingual rosary as they walked about a half mile for an afternoon Mass with Bishop Anthony B. Taylor.
Five churches were named Jubilee Churches by Bishop Taylor. In addition to St. Edward and Cathedral of St. Andrew, Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith, St. Mary Church in Helena and St. Joseph Church in Pine Bluff will be places of seeking “mercy and hope” during the Holy Year.
Father Juan Guido, the diocese’s Jubilee Year coordinator and pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock, said the Vatican’s rite for the opening of the Jubilee Churches specified the requirement of “a cross of great significance for the diocese.”
Pope Francis, in his 2022 apostolic letter Desiderio Desideravi (“I have earnestly desired”), wrote, “For this reason, it is required that the cross which opens the pilgrimage be one of significance for the diocesan Church in the historical-artistic sense, or because of the devotion of the people. It should be duly decorated and, if of dimensions that require several people to carry it, it should be suitably arranged. It is placed near the altar in the sanctuary where it remains for the entire Jubilee Year for the veneration of the faithful.”
In consultation with Bishop Taylor, Father Guido commissioned Verkamp to handcraft the cross. The deacon chose walnut for the cross and base, adding engraved gold lettering on the base saying, “Jubilee 2025,” and on the cross in Latin Ave crux, spes unica (“Hail to the cross, our only hope”).
“I wanted it to be a wood that was respectful and reverent,” Verkamp said. “Walnut has a natural beauty.”
A relic of the True Cross in a reliquary stored in the archives of the Diocese of Little Rock, was incorporated into the center of the cross. Verkamp said the cross was designed so that the gold reliquary could be removed if needed.
“It is Bishop Taylor’s desire for the Jubilee Cross to travel to the designated Jubilee Churches and other parishes that wish to host it,” Father Guido said.
When the cross isn’t traveling to other locations, it will be displayed by the altar at the Cathedral of St. Andrew.
Father Guido said he will release a schedule of dates and locations where the cross will travel in 2025 so the “faithful can venerate it.”
“The cross will, without question, be present at the major jubilee celebrations in June at St. Raphael Church in Springdale and Christ the King Church in Little Rock,” Father Guido said. “Our hope is that this Jubilee Cross will remain a lasting symbol of hope for our diocese even after the Jubilee Year concludes, finding use in various diocesan events.”
At the end of Dec. 29 Mass, Father Guido announced that the Jubilee Cross was created for the year, incorporating wood from the cross carried by Jesus. After Mass, dozens of people stood in line to kneel and pray before the cross and have a chance to touch it.
