Tom Palacios: The craftsman behind the cross

Every Good Friday for the last 34 years, the Christian faithful on Saipan have been witnessing male parishioners plant a wooden cross at the peak of Mt. Tapochao to honor Christ’s death on the cross.

This Good Friday cross tradition, which was initiated by Bishop Tomas A. Camacho, continues even after Camacho’s retirement, under the craftsmanship of Tom Palacios, who has been making the cross for 32 years and counting. This year, his creation measures 27 feet tall and has an arm span of 14 feet.

“Jesus sacrificed his life for us 2,000 years ago, and 32 years is not even enough to repay that,” Palacios said in an interview after the cross was erected at the Mt. Tapochao summit last Friday.

While he prepares the cross, Palacios revealed that a group of parishioners actively take part in the entire process, from picking out that perfect ironwood deep in the island’s lush jungles to the cutting and shaping of the actual cross.

The process, Palacios noted, is a lot more complicated than one would think. “Trees can be tricky. They may look straight but once you cut it down, it becomes crooked.” Building the cross would take about a day or two to finish, he added.

For Palacios, the cross that he makes each year to replace the one that’s been erected on the island’s highest point symbolizes faith, hope, and peace.

“As a Christian and as a part of this community, making the cross is something I do to help give hope to all the people on island,” Palacios told Saipan Tribune. “We should always remember that there is hope and that everybody should treat their neighbors well.”

Palacios maintained that there is hope even in the current economic situation in the islands. What is needed, he said, is for the island leaders to work together to come up with a “sustainable economic strategy.”

“If we do that, we can be self-sufficient. Our forefathers decided to become a Commonwealth because they believed that we can be self-sufficient but our leaders have turned away from that,” he added.

Although tourism has been the CNMI’s bread and butter industry, Palacios emphasized that focus should be given to agriculture because of its sustainability. And just like in agriculture, each and every one in the community must learn how to “plant something good that we can all remember.”

When asked if he has any family member who will carry on his Good Friday legacy, Palacios said he considers all parishioners involved in making the cross and leading the observance of the most solemn event in Christianity as part of his family who will continue the tradition.

Among them is John Paul Sablan, who has been doing the Good Friday tradition for 14 years.

“It feels good knowing that I was among those who helped build the cross for the church and for the rest of all the Christian community on island,” he said.

Sablan, who served as an altar boy when he was young, said that while Good Friday is a time to remember Christ’s death on the cross to save mankind, the community as a whole should rejoice His coming back to life on Easter.

“Nothing is more magnificent than dying for all of us, that is why I ask all my Christian brothers and sisters to make their own contribution as we observe Holy Week each year. It’s a once a year event for which we can all participate,” added Sablan.