Holy Cross Day is a major feast observed on September 14. It honors Christ’s self-offering on the cross for our salvation. The collect for this holy day recalls that Christ “was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world unto himself.” It prays that “we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 192). The hymn “Lift high the cross” (Hymn 473) powerfully expresses the themes of the day.
Known throughout the church
The eastern church knows this feast as “The Exaltation of the Holy Cross.” The western church knows this in missals and sacramentaries of the Roman Catholic Church as “The Triumph of the Cross” in the Roman Catholic Church. It was one of the 12 great feasts in the Byzantine liturgy. The 1979 Book of Common Prayer is the first American Prayer Book to include Holy Cross Day.
Origins of Holy Cross Day
Historically, the feast has been associated with the dedication on September 14, 335, of a complex of buildings built by the Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337) in Jerusalem on the sites of the crucifixion and Christ’s tomb. This shrine included a large basilica and a circular church. Constantine’s mother, Helena (c. 255- c. 330), supervised the construction of the shrine. A relic believed to be the cross was discovered during the work of excavation.
Claims by the Church of Jerusalem to have the cross date from the mid-fourth century. The pilgrim Egeria mentions a feast commemorating the discovery of the cross in Jerusalem in the late-fourth-century.
This feast has also been associated with the exposition at Jerusalem of the cross by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (575-641). He recovered the relic of the True Cross from the Persians who took it from Jerusalem in 614 when they destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The authenticity of alleged relics of the cross may be questionable. However, Holy Cross Day provides an opportunity for a joyous celebration of Christ’s redeeming death on a cross.
Events for the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Episcopal Church welcomes you.