If you are not already a member of Holy Cross, please see our main home page, which has much more information for you. This page is for people who are already familiar with us and our website and just want to see the latest changes or news.
NOTE: Please "refresh" this page to be sure you have the most recent version.
Just as the Lenten Triodion is the book of the extended season of preparation for Pascha, the Pentecostarion, called by some the Festal Triodion, is the book of the extended season of thanksgiving after Pascha, and of our preparation for Holy Pentecost.
During this time between Pascha and Pentecost, the Church offers us each week a different theme which deepens our focus and understanding.
This week, the focus is on the Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council, and we continue to celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven.
The Lord has ascended into heaven that He might send the Comforter into the world. The heavens prepared His throne, and the clouds His mount. Angels marvel to see a Man high above them. The Father receives Him Whom He holds, co-eternal, in His bosom. The Holy Spirit commands all His Angels: “Lift up your gates, ye princes!” All ye nations, clap your hands: for Christ has gone up to where He was before!”
Fulfilling, O Lord, in Thy goodness, the mystery hidden from ages and generations, Thou didst come with Thy Disciples to the Mount of Olives, together with the Mother who bore Thee, the Maker and Creator of all; for it was fitting that she who as a mother had been grieved beyond all at Thy Passion, should also be filled with exceeding joy at the glory of Thy flesh. In this joy we also partake at Thine Ascension into heaven, O Master, and we glorify Thy great mercy that has come upon us.
Thou wast begotten from the Father before the Morning Star, but Arius taught wrongfully that Thou wast created: in his ignorance he designated Thee as a creature, yet the Fathers of the Council proclaimed Thee as Son of God, co-enthroned with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Today we celebrate the annual memory of the God-bearing Fathers who assembled in Nicea. They laid low the godless doctrines of Arius, driving him from the unity of the Catholic Church, and teaching us how to confess the consubstantial and co-eternal Son of God. They expressed this clearly in the Symbol of Faith, and we follow their divine doctrines, believing in and serving the Son with the Father and the all-Holy Spirit, the consubstantial Trinity and one Divinity.
From the Pentecostarion.
The Lord has ascended into heaven that He might send the Comforter into the world. The heavens prepared His throne, and the clouds His mount. Angels marvel to see a Man high above them. The Father receives Him Whom He holds, co-eternal, in His bosom. The Holy Spirit commands all His Angels: “Lift up your gates, ye princes!”! All ye nations, clap your hands: for Christ has gone up to where He was before!”
The nature of Adam, which had descended to the nethermost parts of the earth, Thou didst renew in Thyself, O God, and today Thou didst take it up above every Principality and Power, for loving it, Thou didst seat it with Thyself; and having compassion on it, Thou didst unite it with Thyself; and united with it, Thou didst suffer with it; and Thou Who art passionless hast glorified it with Thyself. But the Bodiless Powers were asking: “Who is this Man of beauty? Not man only, but both God and man, the two natures together made manifest.” And so exultant Angels, flying about the Disciples in shining robes, cried out: “Ye Men of Galilee, He Who is gone from you, this Jesus, both Man and God, will come again as God and Man, the Judge of living and the dead, granting the faithful forgiveness of sins and His great mercy!”
From: the Pentecostarion
the services of the Ascension.
Dear friends and faithful of Holy Cross,
Glory to Jesus Christ!
2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.
We now are beginning to open the church to the faithful! Patience, humility and selfless mutual love will remain vitally important in this process. We are all under strict and important rules, but they are not overly burdensome. Here is some basic information:
More information is available on this page: Information on the COVID-19 Coronavirus for the Faithful.
In XC,
Fr. Christopher
Before all other deeds, remember about this great deed: that your children, innocent and pure children, take into their pure hearts the Law of God, the commandments of Christ, at least from the small amount of instruction that they can receive from you.
You have not yet forgotten the Law of God, so teach, teach your children, and then your family will become your house church. And the light of Christ from this house church will spread invisibly for you beyond the boundaries of your family.
The Light of Christ, His Divine Truth, will invisibly flow into the hearts and minds of all those who have dealings with you. It could be that the influence of your house church will go beyond its boundaries.
Then the eternal blessing of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, His Beginningless Father, and the All-Holy Spirit will be upon you. Article
The more we forgive, the more courage we gather within our heart which in turn makes it easier to forgive the next time, and the time after that, and seventy-times seven that follow. When we begin living according to a life in Christ, our world changes, we perceive those around us differently. We begin to see them as Christ sees them. Most importantly, we recognize the grace of Christ operative in our lives. We can then echo the words of Saint Paul, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phillippians 4:13) and that includes forgiving everyone, even those who have wronged us greviously. Article
Despite the "Stay at Home" order, the Joy of Pascha was shared by the Faithful through a streaming service of the Paschal Hours and the Divine Liturgy of Pascha!
The Vesperal Liturgy of Holy Saturday was streamed to the Faithful.
The service in which the crucified Body of Christ is carried to the Tomb was streamed to the Faithful.
The Bridegroom Matins of Holy Wednesday was streamed to the faithful on the Evening of Holy Tuesday. The video is available.
The Divine Liturgy of Palm Sunday was streamed to the faithful.
A video now is available of Father's Homily on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.
A video now is available of Father's Homily on the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross.
We are streaming services live for the faithful at home, and for all the world. We have a few screen captures from the Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross.
We have some some photos fof the procession on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.
We have some some photos from the Sunday of Forgiveness.
We have some some photos of Jonah's baptism.
We have some video and photos from the Outdoor Blessing of the Waters on the Sunday after Theophany.
We have a few photos from the Great Blessing of the Waters on Theophany
We had many baptisms before and on the Eve of Nativity!
St. Nicholas came to Holy Cross!
Deacon George and Matushka Elizabeth Hattle Say Farewell.
Tyler and Holly and their children became catechumens!
We have some photos from our annual Parish Picnic!
We have some photos from our parish feast, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross!
We have some video and photos from Pascha!
We have some photographs from Holy Saturday!
We have some photographs from Holy Friday!
We have photos from the celebrations of Palm Sunday!
We have photos from the Sunday of Orthodoxy.
We have photos from the Sunday of Forgiveness.
We have photos from Nikolai's baptism!
We celebrated Holy Theophany, and after, the Outdoor Blessing of the Waters.
Children and adults sang Christmas carols just before Christmas.
St. Nicholas came to visit Holy Cross!
We have photos from Pentecost, and the chrismations on Pentecost!
We have some photos from the services on Holy Friday!
We have some photos from the services of Pascha!
Palm Sunday was a festive celebration, with our yearly photograph of parish children after the procession.
On Soul Saturday, Father Christopher celebrated a teaching liturgy, teaching during the Proskomedia and the Divine Liturgy.
On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we had a procession with icons, and took a photo of the children.
In the first week of Lent, parishioners gathered to pray the penitential Canon of St. Andrew.
We began Lent with the Rite of Forgiveness.
Thanks to Whitney for photos from the Outdoor Blessing of the Waters on the Sunday following Theophany.
Thanks to Sergey for photos from the John Luke's Baptism on the Sunday after Nativity!
Thanks to Sergey for many more photos from the baptisms and chrismations just before Nativity!
We have photos from the children's Nativity Play!
Our celebration of the Nativity of Christ began with a beautiful and joyous Vigil service.
We celebrated 5 baptisms and 11 chrismations on the Sunday before Nativity!
The first of 2017's Nativity Prefeast services began the final stage of prayerful preparation for Holy Nativity.
St. Nicholas visited Holy Cross this year again, and later, many parishioners and their children sang Christmas carols at Adams Farm Living and Rehabilitation, where our brother George of blessed memory used to live.
Father Christopher gathered together the parish children who are approaching the appropriate age and offered them some teaching about confession.
After so many years of hoping, researching, planning, preparing and praying, at last we had our first meeting with the builders, initiating the actual path toward building our new church!
For more, please see our Parish News, Photos and Videos page.
