Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

On September 14, we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross which commemorates three major events relating to the Cross of Jesus.  First, we remember how St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, found the True Cross by having a dying woman touch one of the three crosses she uncovered.  She was healed upon touching the Cross of our Lord.  Second, we remember the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 335 which was built on the site of both Jesus’ Crucifixion and His empty tomb. Third, we remember when the True Cross was returned to Jerusalem in 629 after it was stolen by the Persians in 614.