Story of the big cross
The cross as it stands today at White House
A lot of people ask us about the big cross that sits in front of our chapel.
This cross originally stood in the St. Stanislaus Jesuit Cemetery (located at the St. Stanislaus Jesuit Seminary) in Florissant, MO on Howdershell Rd. It was b...uilt by Jesuit Brothers from Germany and was erected in 1871. It stands 18 feet high.
The seminary closed and cemetery closed in 1971. The graves were relocated to Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, MO. In 2003, the last of the property was sold. Fr. Rich Buhler, S.J. was director of White House at that time and arranged for the cross to be moved to White House in April 2003 with the help of Lawlor Construction Company.
When the cross was removed from the cemetery, workmen found the crossbar and top piece were perfectly balanced with no apparent anchors; a balancing act left undisturbed since 1871. The pieces are firmly secured today.
The cross as it stood from 1871-2003 at the St. Stanislaus Cemetery in Florissant, MO.