On the early morning of Wednesday, May 7, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land celebrated the Feast of the Finding of the True Cross (Inventio Crucis) at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
This is a deeply meaningful celebration: Jerusalem is the only place in the world where this feast is still observed, after it was abolished by the liturgical reform of 1969. The Eastern tradition connects this feast to the miraculous appearance of a luminous cross in the sky above Jerusalem, as described by Saint Cyril on May 7, 351. The decision to preserve this date allows the feast to fall within the Easter season, thus uniting the contemplation of the mystery of the Cross with that of the Resurrection.
The celebration took place solemnly inside the Chapel of Saint Helena, one of the lowest points within the Holy Sepulchre, located behind Calvary. Formerly used as a stone quarry, it is the site where, according to tradition, Helena (mother of Emperor Constantine) discovered the crosses of Jesus and the two thieves.
On the eve of the celebration, during the vigil, a passage from the Church History of Saint Rufinus was read, recounting how Saint Helena recognized the True Cross when a gravely ill woman was healed upon touching the wood.
The celebrations began on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 6, with the solemn entry of the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Patton, into the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. This opening moment was followed by a solemn procession, during which the Custos presided over First Vespers in the Chapel of Saint Helena, before the relic of the True Cross. During the night, the friars continued with the Vigil, marked by the chanting of psalms and canticles and readings from the Liturgy of the Hours.
On the morning of May 7, the feast was celebrated with Holy Mass. The Custos of the Holy Land led the procession, carrying the relic of the True Cross, which was then placed on the altar and remained exposed for the entire Eucharistic celebration. Each year, on this occasion, the Chapel of Saint Helena is adorned with red and gold liturgical vestments, symbolizing the blood and glory of Christ.
“Contemplating the Crucified One, we see at the same time the One who humbled himself (by becoming one of us), and we see the One who was lifted up to draw all creation to himself,” recalled the Custos in his homily (full text here), emphasizing the significance of this festive day.
“Let us therefore heed the invitation,” he continued, addressing the faithful present, “to always keep before the eyes of our mind the exalted Christ, the glorified Christ, already revealed in the Crucified Christ. For in his giving of life out of love, the victory over death is already accomplished.”
At the end of the Mass, the relic of the Holy Cross was carried in procession three times around the Aedicule of the Holy Sepulchre, which houses the empty tomb of Christ. The Custos of the Holy Land then offered three blessings with the relic, in significant places within the basilica: in front of the Aedicule, at the altar of Mary Magdalene, and in the Chapel of the Apparition. The celebration concluded with the chant of the Magnificat and the incensation of Christ’s tomb.
Lucia Borgato
