Relic of the True Cross
“Ave Crux, spes unica! (Hail O Cross, our only hope!) May this acclamation… remain ever on our lips, for the Cross is a mystery of life and death. The Cross has become for the Church a ''tree of life''. For this reason we proclaim that life has triumphed over death.”
John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Gregis, #5.
When the Body of Jesus was removed from the Cross, to prevent His followers from finding it, the Cross was thrown in a ditch or well, and then covered with stones and earth.
In 312 A.D., while Constantine, who had not yet converted to Christianity, was in combat with Maxentius for the throne of the Roman Empire, he prayed to the Lord God of the Christians to help him in his battle. In answer to his prayer, a sign appeared in the sky. A luminous cross was seen with the words "BY THIS SIGN YOU WILL CONQUER" inscribed on it.
Constantine won the battle over Maxentius. Indebted to God for his victory at the Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312, Constantine commanded that the Sign of Christianity be placed on the Roman standards and on the shields of all the soldiers.
Then, on September 14, 326,
Constantine’s mother, St. Helen, found in Jerusalem the True Cross on which
Jesus was crucified. The legend of the story of the discovery of the true cross
is that, when visiting the holy places in Palestine, St Helen was guided to the
site of the crucifixion by an aged Jew who had inherited traditional knowledge
as to its location. After the ground had been dug to a considerable depth, three
crosses were found, as well as the superscription placed over the Savior’s head
on the cross, and the nails with which he had been crucified. The cross of the
Lord was distinguished from the other two by laying the crosses on a dead youth
who was revived by the touch of the third Cross.
To commemorate the finding of the Holy Cross, Constantine dedicated two Churches upon Calvary, "Anastasis" and "Golgotha," both within the precincts of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Beginning in those days, the Feast of the "Exaltation of the Holy Cross" was commemorated annually on May 3 rd.
In 614, Chosroes II, the King of Persia, invaded Syria and Palestine, at which time he carried away many of the great treasures of Jerusalem, including the relic of the True Cross. In 629, Emperor Heraclius of Constantinople marched into Persia and recapture the True Cross, seeing to it that Heraclius piously bring it back to Jerusalem while being clothed in sackcloth of penance and barefoot. On September 14th, the Sacred Cross was restored to its place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
To commemorate this victory, in the 7th century, the Church of Rome adopted the "Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross" on September 14th.
Today one may visit the basilica church of Santa Croce in Jerusalemme (The Holy Cross in Jerusalem), located in Rome, in which a sizable portion of the Holy Cross is enshrined along with numerous other associated relics including a large portion of the sign that had been placed on the Cross saying “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”. It is from this church that the relic in our Shrine of the True Cross was obtained.
In 1934
Father Thomas Carney was appointed Pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, in Dickinson.
Shortly after his assignment, he asked Bishop Christopher Byrne of Galveston to
allow the church in Dickinson to be named Shrine of the True Cross instead of
St. Joseph. Bishop Byrne acceded, obtained permission from the Holy See and
commissioned Father Andrew B. Deslatte (who was then studying in Rome) to secure
a relic of the Cross for Father Carney. A relic was obtained and sent to Bishop
Byrne in 1936.
In that year the parish was changed from St. Joseph to Shrine of the True Cross in an elaborate dedication ceremony conducted by Bishop Byrne and many church dignitaries. At the request of Bishop Byrne, the Shrine of the True Cross was affiliated with the Church of Santa Croce in Rome, and to it were attached special indulgences.
We venerate the relic of the True Cross because it was the instrument on which our Lord made His supreme sacrifice for our salvation. It was soaked in His most precious Blood. And through this we recognize that the cross of Christ has become the Tree of Life.
The assembled faithful venerate the relic of the Cross with a kiss on Good Friday each year. The Church has attached a plenary indulgence to this act of faith when all the usual conditions are met.
On the celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross the assembled faithful receive a solemn blessing with the relic of the Holy Cross. All are welcome to come and pray at the Shrine of the True Cross and venerate the relic of the Cross whenever the church is open throughout the year.