Dear Parishioners and Visitors,
In the photo above, one of our parishioners, Bob Oliver, is painting the Crucifix at St. Michael’s Church in Winthrop, Massachusetts. This Crucifix proclaims itself in an inner-city neighborhood, situated among working-class people and their houses, and backyards. It reminds us that Christ and his victory over suffering is very much part of our world!
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, celebrated every September 14, dates back to the fourth century. Tradition holds that St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered the true Cross in Jerusalem around the year 326 during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Feast is sometimes called the Triumph of the Cross. Unlike Good Friday, which focuses on Christ’s suffering and death, this feast highlights the victory of the Cross, which brought about salvation and new life for us. Once a symbol of humiliation and execution, it is now a sign of love, triumph, and glory.
With prayerful best wishes,
Fr. John Mahoney