Photos and Videos

Father Christopher, our choir, and many of our parishioners joined with the local Serbian church, St. Basil of Ostrog, as they consecrated their beautiful new church building.

Father Christopher, Reader Daniel and several Holy Cross parishioners served a Vespers service in support of a possible new mission in Hickory.

Holy Pentecost was celebrated with joy and awe, and with the joyful reception of two catechumens into our parish family!

The Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser was a joyful and successful event -- many thanks to all who worked so hard to make it so!

The Parish Council, including newly-elected members, were sworn in.

A newly-commissioned icon of a Saint of America, Vasily Martysz, was blessed.

We now have photographs from Pascha, including the Blessing of the Baskets. (We also have added some photos to the Holy Saturday page that initially had only the video.)

In the early hours of Pascha, the Priests and the faithful cry aloud and sing, "Christ is Risen -- Indeed, He is Risen!" in many languages of the faithful around the world. We have some video of the Canon from Matins on Pascha!

Shortly after midnight on Holy Pascha, the Light of Christ shines in the darkness, and the faithful sing in joy, Christ is Risen! We have some video of the procession!

We have some photos from Mick's Chrismation and the liturgy of Holy Saturday.

We have some video as the faithful process and venerate Christ's holy Passion as Noble Joseph lays Christ's Body in the Tomb at the end of the Lamentations in the evening on Holy Friday (the Matins of Holy Saturday). Included are the words sung by the faithful for Noble Joseph, and Christ's holy Passion.

We have video of Placing Christ's Body (the Plashchanitsa / Epitaphion) in the Tomb from Vespers on Holy Friday.

We have video and photos from the Divine Liturgy with 3 priests on Palm Sunday and the festive Palm Sunday Procession.

We have some photos and video from a Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. It is very difficult for many people to attend weekday services even in the evening, but those who have been able to attend all have agreed that these are very beautiful and meaningful services.

We have a video from the healing service of Holy Unction for Matushka Salome / Carrie which was served for Matushka Salome - Carrie Foley, two days before her cardiac surgery on Thursday, February 25, to correct a recently discovered congenital defect in her ascending aorta (the major blood vessel from the heart to the rest of the body).

We have photographs from the Procession celebrating the victory of Orthodoxy of the heresies on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

Fr. Christopher joined His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah and hundreds of other Orthodox Christians in the March for Life in Washington, DC this year, on Sanctity of Life Sunday, the Sunday following the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.

The Blessing of the Waters at City Lake Park near our parish church on the Sunday following Holy Theophany was bitterly cold but beautiful and a joyous festal celebration. Even in sunny North Carolina a hole had to be chopped in the ice for the Cross to bless the waters! We also have video of the event!

We have photos and a brief video from Nativity, including photos from the fasting Holy Supper prior to Nativity, and of Faith's chrismation.

Fr. Christopher Foley concelebrated with Fr. Sergei Lukianov when the miraculous Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God visited the mission parish of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church (ROCOR) in Mebane, NC, on December 23, 2009. Fr. Sergei , who had accompanied the holy icon on its historic visit back to Russia where thousands of the faithful lined the streets for miles and perched on roofs to greet the Mother of God, spoke movingly of his experiences and what he observed.

St. Nicholas visited Holy Cross on his Feast Day, and spoke to children and all present, and gave gifts to the children. We have photographs of this historic visit!

We have a few photographs of Rickford/Nicholas' Chrismation.

Thomas Lowry received a blessing as he prepared to enter Boot Camp in the US Army. Tom is a specialist in the US Army, and as he was preparing to leave for 12 weeks of Boot Camp at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he received a blessing at church. He left on November 16th. In February he is going to start his AIT training in Norfolk, Virginia. His destination thereafter is not finalized yet. Please keep him in your prayers.

Our first annual Fall Festival was a grand success! The yard sale and chili cookoff were enjoyed by all, the children enjoyed activities prepared for them, everyone enjoyed sampling 9 different wonderful chilis, and the proceeds will go to the Building Fund. Thanks to all who organized and participated in it!

We celebrated our first annual Holy Cross Parish Picnic following an outdoor Divine Liturgy. The forecasted stormy weather held off, and it was a wonderful time of worship and fellowship.

Concelebrating the Vigil for the Exaltation of the Cross with Fr. Christopher, was Fr. Paul Schellbach and newly ordained priest of The Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church in Greensboro, Fr. Thomas Newlin.

Adam Keith Kowalcheck was received into the Church through the Holy Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation on August 23, 2009. Adam’s grandfather, Father Onouphry Keith (St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Fletcher, NC) concelebrated the Baptism service with Father Christopher. And former deacon at Holy Cross, now priest, Father John and Matushka Ginny Hays were the Godparents. Immediately following the baptism, the three priests concelebrated the Divine Liturgy.

We have some photos from Holy Transfiguration, and from a pannykhida.

We have some photos from Holy Friday, Baptisms and Chrismations on Holy Saturday AM, Holy Saturday and Pascha, including our Paschal Procession, the blessing of the Pascha Baskets, and an Egg Hunt that followed Agape Vespers, available, and there are still a few more to come!

Palm Sunday was a glorious celebration of Christ's entrance into Jerusalem, carrying palms and branches, and singing, "Hosanna!"

Fr. Michael Oleksa spoke about the history of Orthodoxy's beginnings in North America, with stories of saints and "mountain men" paddling hand-made boats of elk and caribou hide in the wintry seas of the North as Russians moved into lands populated by native peoples. We have photographs from the Akathist to the Saints of North America that was served before his talk, and a short video clip from his talk.

Fr. Christopher's son, Alexander Malcolm, was received into the Church though the Holy Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation on January 25, 2009.

We have some photos from Holy Theophany, with many thanks to Ray Zawertany.