The St. Andrew’s Cross

Submitted by Mindy Canterbury

   It reaches out to us, offering a warm and comforting embrace.  The St. Andrew’s cross has graced the loft above the chancel now for nearly two years.

   The 11½ foot tall, 300 pound cross is the creation of Tucson sculptor, Nicholas L. Burke. His idea for the curved arms, and “cross within a cross” came from St. Andrew himself. The apostle was a fisherman from the Sea of Galilee. He went through life leading people to Jesus. It just seemed natural to Nick that the cross reach toward us, in a welcoming gesture of strength and stability. It is bowed, like a boat. Nick says, “Faith is a vessel that carries you through your life, and the cross is like a ship.”  The saltire cross represents Andrew’s crucifixion on an x-shaped cross. The light pours through the clear center of the cross.  Christ, the center of our lives.

   Nick works primarily in cast bronze. The St. Andrew’s cross has bronze edging that frames buttery and polished Arizona mesquite. Nick had bog oak from Scotland imported and carefully inlaid pieces of the ancient wood on the arms. He is planning to incorporate more bog oak, reserved from the original cross project, into a series of smaller versions based on the same design. In this way, the spirit of the cross expands outward into the community.

   Nick received the commission to build the    St. Andrew’s cross and set out to create a symbol of faith that was unique, uniting, and specific to      St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.  He can’t count the hours he spent working on the cross, or how many times he took it apart, and put it back together!  One thing is for sure, it stands strong and balanced, all on its own. It lifts us up!

   Nick says, proudly, while imagining the cross still existing several hundred years from now, “It’s a good thing to leave behind.” 

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