The City, which has owned the property for 50 years, was considering several options after receiving a letter in November from the group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State threatening a lawsuit if the cross was not removed from publicly-owned property.
Supporters of the cross will now begin the process of raising the funds to make a winning bid on the .43 acres on which the cross is placed.
“There would be immense pride in a group of individuals who would own a piece of history,” said City Councilman Andy Melendrez, who is a parishioner of St. Andrew’s Newman Center. “I believe our faith and our community will keep the cross up.”
Many in the faith community had urged the City to engage in a legal battle with Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, which is based in Washington D.C. and has no ties to Riverside. Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio del Riego, St. John the Evangelist Pastor, Father Saul Garcia, M.S.P., and Sacred Heart, Riverside Administrator, Father Martin Rodriguez, C.O.R.C. all signed a letter from Riverside faith leaders urging the City to fight any lawsuit that might be filed as a first option.
Bishop del Riego said the diocese will support the effort of cross supporters to acquire the property in the bid. The effort will be coordinated by the group Totally Mt. Rubidoux, a collaboration of the Friends of Mt. Rubidoux, Mission Inn Foundation and Riverside Land Conservancy. Residents interested in receiving more information about making a donation or pledging a donation are encouraged to visit www.totallymtrubidoux.org.
“We want the cross to remain there for both historical and spiritual reasons,” Bishop del Riego said after the council’s decision. “This will require financial support from as many citizens of Riverside as possible.”
The cross was dedicated in April of 1907 by Bishop Thomas Conaty from the Catholic Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles. Plaques commemorating the cross in the name of Fr. Junipero Serra remain in place on the mountain. Frank Miller, a Riverside pioneer who led the development of Mt. Rubidoux, was said to respect the impact Fr. Junipero Serra had on California through his Missions. Today, Catholic communities in Riverside process to the cross on Good Friday, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Easter Sunrise Service.
“That symbol represents for us unity and hope,” Deacon John Degano told the City Council just before its Jan. 22 vote.
Said longtime Riverside resident Rosie Bonds at the meeting, “it’s a reminder that somebody died for us.”