NEW STATION at Place of Prayer
Begun in the 1800s in Lithuania, it stands for peaceful endurance despite threats throughout history. (1795, 1831, 1863, 1918, 1944-1990) It has served as a form of peaceful resistance against tyranny. The Soviets bulldozed the site at least 3 times, and planned a dam to put it under water, but never succeeded.
The Hill of Crosses at the Place of Prayer serves as a place to pray for peace for our country, and also to mourn the loss of loved ones during the Pandemic .
You are invited to place a wooden cross on this hill. Find any 2 pieces of wood, and use string or rope to make a cross. Lay it down or stand it up. Cross crafting is a traditional Lithuanian art. Lithuanian cross crafting has been included in the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
You may want to make the Sign of the Cross, typically by touching first the forehead, then across to the left should, then right, reciting the Trinity: In the Name of the Father, in the Name of the Son, in the Name of the Holy Spirit.
Another version: make the Sign of the Cross on the forehead, then the mouth, and finally the chest, saying: By the Sign of the Cross deliver us from our enemies, You Who are our God.
There are many hymns about The Cross, the most well-known: “The Old Rugged Cross”
The Cross is a symbol of injustice, suffering and shame, the most used symbol for Christians. The Hill of Crosses is a Lithuanian site for a Pilgrimage. More than 100,000 crosses have been brought to the Hill of Crosses. Miracles, heroic acts of defiance against the Soviet Union (which banned it and kept taking the crosses down), and legends proliferate about it.