Parish News
Yana and Tom's Wedding
Sunday, June 8 marked not only the Ascension of our Lord, but the first wedding at Holy Cross Orthodox Church! Over a hundred people in attendance were witnesses as Yana Alexandrovna Romanova was wed to Thomas Carl Lowry in the Holy Mystery of Matrimony. Father Christopher concelebrated the ceremony with Father Paul Schellbach and Father Deacon John Hays. There are some gorgeous photographs available!
What a joyous occasion it was to celebrate Tom and Yana's marriage at Holy Cross! God grant them many Blessed years!
Ordination of Deacon John
Our dear brother John Hays was ordained to the Diaconate on Saturday, May 24, 2008. Axios! Axios! Axios!
He was ordained in part of the services associated with the consecration of the new church building of Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Charleston, SC.
Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha
The great days of "joy-creating sorrow" of Lent's preparation to celebrate the Feast of Feasts are past, and Pascha was a joyous festival at the parish of Holy Cross. Please see the Photographs and Videos page for more!
Archbishop DMITRI's First Archpastoral Visit to our parish!
His Eminence, The Most Reverend DMITRI, Archbishop of Dallas and the South made his first archpastoral visit to Holy Cross on the first weekend of March, 2008. He was with us for Great Vespers on Saturday evening, March 1, and spoke to us about the implications of the recent Sunday of Zaccheus as we prepare for the Great Fast. Zaccheus fervently desired to see Jesus, and his Eminence said that English translations often do not portray adequately that he didn't just wish to see him, but he wished to see Jesus as He truly was. Archbishop Dmitri encouraged us all to take advantage of the Great Fast as an opportunity to walk the journey of the Prodigal Son, to re-evaluate ourselves in the light of Jesus as He truly is, preparing for the joyful celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord when Pascha comes.
In the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, he spoke to us about the Gospel of the day, illuminating Christ's call to treat "the least" of humankind as if they were Jesus Christ by reflecting on the Incarnation, how by taking on matter and human flesh, Jesus sanctified the material world and God became one of us, truly God and truly human. And that we can view each other and all people on earth in the light of the Incarnation as we move into the Great Fast, trying to fast not only from food but from our passions, and to focus on almsgiving and reaching out to all of God's children, seeing those who might have seemed "the least" of us as if they were Christ.
His Eminence tonsured two Readers, our Choir Director Daniel Kowalcheck and his brother Nicholas (attached to St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Pittsburgh), and ordained to the Subdiaconate our brother John Hays.
The Archpastoral visit was an occasion of edification and great joy, and we pray for the continued health and wellbeing of our beloved Vladyka, Dmitri, Archbishop of Dallas and the South -- Many Years!
We have many photographs from the festive weekend, and we invite you to enjoy them!
Holy Theophany
Theophany in 2008 was a lovely day, and it was a beautiful experience as we moved from the church to continue the services of Holy Theophany outdoors for the Blessing of the Waters. As Father Christopher blessed the waters, casting the Holy Cross upon them, we recalled his homily about Christ entering the waters, sanctifying them and all of Creation.
Some more photographs are available for viewing!
Father Paul Lazor's Visit
On Friday, November 9th, 2007,
Fr. Paul Lazor visited and spoke to us on the
importance of our liturgical worship in the Eastern Orthodox
tradition. Fr. Paul is a retired professor from St. Vladimir's
Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York and is a very gifted and
inspiring speaker. We are honored to have been able to host him at Holy
Cross.
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 2007
We had a wonderful Vigil for our patronal feast - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 13th. It was a beautiful service and we were blessed to have all the clergy from the Orthodox Churches in the area present with us. "Through the Cross, joy has come into all the world.!" Holy Cross featured in High Point Enterprise News
Pascha, 2007
What a joyous first Pascha we had at Holy Cross. God is good!
Holy Week, 2007
Other News
Our site is currently being redesigned. More past stories and photos are to come!