On our Parish Feast Day, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14th, our parish came together to pray for the victims of abuse and for forgiveness, healing, and conversion in the Catholic Church.  The day began with morning Mass and continued throughout the day with Eucharistic Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, in which members of our parish and the children from our school participated.  At 3:00 p.m. we prayed the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy together, at 6:00 p.m. Fr. Andrew offered an hour for confessions, and at 7:00 p.m. Fr. Andrew led Benediction and The Divine Praises.

At 7:30 p.m. Fr. Mark presided at our Feast Day Mass and Fr. Andrew preached the Homily (CLICK HERE).  During the General Intercessions (CLICK HERE), Fr. Mark and Fr. Andrew kneeled in contrition before the Altar and the Crucifix as we prayed for the victims of sexual abuse, coversion of offenders, and healing of our Catholic Church.

At the end of Mass, a relic of the True Cross in a reliquary on loan to Holy Redeemer from Fr. Matt Fish and Holy Family Church was displayed on the altar for veneration and prayers.



Finally, the celebration!  We gathered in the Four Seasons Room for wine and dessert while our youth group kids enjoyed a bonfire on the lawn, in a nod to the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition for celebrating this feast day called Meskel (CLICK HERE), along with some s'mores.