Holy Land USA adds Stations of the Cross trail in Waterbury

WATERBURY – A 56-foot cross has towered atop Waterbury’s Pine Hill for over seven decades.

Overlooking Waterbury and Interstate 84, the cross was constructed as an emblem of the city’s Catholic roots and as the centerpiece for Holy Land USA, a former religious theme park that once attracted thousands of visitors per year.

The vision for the 18-acre Holy Land property atop Pine Hill was conceived by Waterbury-based attorney John Greco in the 1950s as “a place of pilgrimage for devout Catholic followers to express their joy in their faith,” said Joe Pisani, a Waterbury native and owner of the steel business Pisani Steele.

“Waterbury in its heyday had more Catholics per capita than any other city in the country,” Pisani said. “Most of the people that immigrated to Waterbury were from European countries, and most of those countries were Catholic. Most of the people settled within neighborhoods and the neighborhoods took on a flavor of their country.”

Pisani said many of the people involved with developing Holy Land were clients of Greco that donated their time in lieu of payment for his services, as well as local masons, carpenters and craftspeople.

The theme park’s attractions included a variety of religious dioramas from the life of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The site’s original neon-lit, 56-foot cross was erected in the early 1950s and then replaced in 1968 with an “eternally lit steel cross” when the neon light bulbs kept breaking, Pisani said. The site also featured a functioning convent where the local nuns lived, a chapel and a fellowship hall, he said.

The theme park, which opened in 1958, closed in 1984 due to Greco’s failing health. After Greco died in 1986, the park was entrusted to the Religious Sisters of Filippi.

The park’s cross stood on the premises until 1998 when the Religious Sisters of Filippi took it down and erected a smaller, non-lit cross in its place, a decision that Pisani said disappointed “a lot of people.”

“The cross had become a symbol for a lot of people in the area,” he said. “It was a Waterbury icon, so a lot of people felt when they were coming home from a journey, they’d see the cross and it made them feel at home.”

Pisani said the Religious Sisters of Filippi were unable to maintain the property, and “years of neglect took its course” on the land before the sisters sold the land in 2013.

That same year, former Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary and automotive dealer Fred Blasius purchased the property with an interest in preserving it, according to Jennifer Rose, O’Leary’s executive secretary. Additionally, a new color-changing LED cross was erected the property.

After hearing about the plan to preserve the Holy Land property, Pisani said he volunteered his services to replace the former stainless-steel cross with the existing 56-foot cross, adding, “The cross that is there is now the fourth cross in the exact location.”

“When the nuns took down the eternal cross, I was disappointed,” Pisani said, “so when the opportunity came that I was able to take part in something that meant something personal to me … I wanted the people that have not experienced growing up like we did to have that little piece of history. Growing up with the cross always there gave me as well as many other people a sense of comfort.”

Today, Holy Land is open to walk around during the day and closed to visitors after sunset. The park is operated by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, which is run by a board of directors.

In the last few years, the board has been working toward restoring the property as a destination where people can find peace, said Father James M. Sullivan, rector of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Church. 

“There’s something about being on the top of Holy Land,” Sullivan, who serves on the board of directors, said. “You’re in the midst of a noisy city … and it’s almost a reflection of life itself — the business of life, the chaos of turmoil, of life and the joys. You’re in this peaceful place overlooking the city. I think people are going to find God there, and we really need it today.”

One of the restoration efforts is the development of the Holy Trail that depicts the Stations of the Cross. 

“Especially in the Catholic tradition, it’s a meditation on Christ’s last three hours,” Sullivan said. “Generally, in every Catholic church, there’s 14 Stations of the Cross, beginning with Pontius Pilate condemning him to crucifixion and him being laid in the tomb. We decided to build Stations of the Cross outside, and we made a trail through the woods.”

Sullivan said the Holy Land Trail is about 3/10 of a mile long and takes about 10 minutes to walk. The stations are situated about 100 yards apart and include vignettes of what each station depicts. The basis for each station was created from stone repurposed from the former steeple of St. Anne Roman Catholic Church, which was taken down for structural reasons in 2018, Sullivan said.

“For people in Waterbury, it’s going to be very meaningful because the stone’s not going to be wasted,” Sullivan said. “It’s being used for something sacred, something holy.”

At the top of each station will sit a statue depicting different scenes from the Stations of the Cross, ending with Jesus Christ being laid in the tomb, Sullivan said. He said the tomb featured in the station was recently built using stones from the Holy Land property.

Sullivan said there has been between 30 and 40 volunteers that have dedicated their time and services to beautifying the Holy Land property, from raking and cleaning to donating concrete, stone and electrical work. The Stations of the Cross have been installed and the statues will be placed on the stations within the next few weeks.

A dedication ceremony to commemorate the Stations of the Cross has been planned for Aug. 14, coinciding with the death date of Father Michael J. McGivney, a Waterbury native who founded the Knights of Columbus, Sullivan said.

“Holy Land was such a nice iconic place, and much of it drifted away after the death of the founder John Greco,” Sullivan said. “There have been many attempts to rebuild it … We’re not meant for a dying spirituality — We’re meant for life and growth.”

“It’s really taken a life of its own beyond what the board expected,” he said. “We’re not stopping at the cross — we’re really expanding on Holy Land to make this a destination for people well beyond Connecticut.”