Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious & Life-Giving Cross

On September 14th, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious & Life-Giving Cross!  The Church commemorates the finding of the Precious Cross of Christ in Jerusalem by St. Helen, the mother of the Emperor Constantine.  When the Cross was lifted out of the ground, it was brought to the Church of the Anastasis and exalted or raised on high by Patriarch Makarios for the people to venerate.  The faithful people prayed before the Cross, crying out "Kyrie Eleison" over and over again.  This historical event is reenacted in the Service of the Exaltation of the Cross as the four points of the compass are blessed with prayers for the faithful!