On Tuesday the 26th and Wednesday the 27th of September, divine services were held in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City for the great feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Officiating the All-Night Vigil with the Rite of the Exaltation of the Cross was Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad.

On the eve and day of the feast, His Eminence was joined at the divine services by: Archpriest Andrei Sommer (cathedral dean), Archpriest Živojin Jakovljević (rector of St. Sava Serbian Cathedral in New York City), Abbot Zosimas (Krampis; rector of the cathedral’s English Mission), Protodeacons Nicolas Mokhoff (cathedral cleric) and Serge Arlievsky (cleric of Holy Dormition Convent "Novo-Diveevo" in Nanuet, NY), and Hierodeacon Panteleimon (Jigalin; diocesan cleric).

Singing beautifully at the service was the Synodal choir under the direction of conductor Vadim S. Gan.

The key moment of this evening service when held in cathedral churches and large monasteries is the solemn Rite of the Exaltation of the Cross, which Metropolitan Nicholas performed in the Cathedral of the Sign.

On Wednesday morning, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad celebrated Divine Liturgy, as well. A majority of parishioners communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Upon completion of the services, Metropolitan Nicholas greeted all those gathered with the feast, and congratulated Fr. Andrei Sommer on his birthday.

In his sermon, His Eminence said, in part:

"After the summer holidays, it is pleasant to hear today the Gospel reading about how Christ carried His Cross to Golgotha, was crucified, and arose on the third day. We hear these readings and are particularly touched by them during Great Lent, on Passion Week, but after spending time on vacation or traveling, today we can refocus somewhat and remember what is most important in our lives. The Lord gives us much, and we live well. But we must remember that God is love, and by His love the Lord saves us. As He willingly accepted suffering on the Cross, so we must accept what the Lord gives us in our lives. We must not grumble or complain or judge, but be thankful for everything, humble ourselves, and labor onward for the glory of God. As we heard yesterday the hymn ‘Lord, have mercy!’ many times, so also in our lives we can read these words, this prayer, and will feel the Lord’s blessing, and the fact that He can have mercy on us if we desire this and pray for this, if we make an effort. Absolutely all of this depends on us.

"Before, the sign of the cross was something shameful, deathly, but by His death Christ defeated everything, and the cross became a symbol of victory. We see much in our day and age – unpleasant, incomprehensible, terrible things – but we must remember that we are sanctified by the sign of the Cross, and the Cross vanquishes all and grants us particular joy.

"In the Sacrament of Matrimony, special prayers are read for the bride and groom. We bless them and ask that the Lord have mercy on them, grant them salvation and understanding, and in one prayer ask that the newlyweds have the same joy as the Empress Helen when she found the Precious Cross of the Lord. The Empress Helen and her son Constantine enshrined the Christian Faith in the 4th century and conducted excavations at the sites where our Savior preached, died, and resurrected. In the Old City today, there is a large church of the Christ’s Resurrection – the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Within this church are located Golgotha, where Christ was crucified, the Rock of Anointing, and the Tomb of the Lord itself, while in another part of the church is located the place where the Life-Giving Cross was found. Visiting Jerusalem, understanding that they had found the spot of Golgotha, the Empress Helen knew that the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord must be located somewhere nearby. As the workers were digging, she stood next to them, praying and asking them to continue digging. She even threw in gold coins to encourage them.

"And there they found three crosses, the Lord having been crucified with two thieves. And when they placed a deceased man against the third cross, he was restored to life. Then they understood that this was the Cross on which the Savior had been crucified. Empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem were overjoyed that the Lord’s Cross had been found! The Lord wishes for us such a spiritual triumph and such joy in our lives, as well. But in order to rejoice in the Lord, let us bear our cross and thank God that He gives us not just one cross, but many crosses to bear throughout our lives."