This Sunday, the normal cycle of Sundays after Easter is interrupted with the celebration of the Invention of the Holy Cross. In the traditional kalendar, we commemorate both the Finding of the True Cross (from the Latin, invenire, meaning ‘discover’) on 3 May and the Triumph or Exaltation of the Holy Cross on 14 September.
The tradition of S. Helena (Constantine’s mother) traveling to Jerusalem is a very early one in the history of the Church. Here is Fr Alban Butler’s account, recorded in Butler’s Lives of the Saints, which is well worth meditating upon:
GOD having restored peace to his church, by exalting Constantine the Great to the imperial throne, that pious prince, who had triumphed over his enemies by the miraculous power of the cross, was very desirous of expressing his veneration for the holy places which had been honoured and sanctified by the presence and sufferings of our blessed Redeemer on earth. He accordingly came to a resolution to build a magnificent church in the city of Jerusalem, as the place which had been most honoured by the presence, the instructions and miracles, of the Son of God.
St. Helena, the emperor’s mother, out of a desire of visiting the holy places there, undertook a journey into Palestine in A.D. 326, though at that time nearly eighty years of age: and on her arrival at Jerusalem, was inspired with a great desire to find the identical cross on which Christ had suffered for our sins. But there was no mark or tradition, even amongst the Christians, where it lay. The heathens, out of an aversion to Christianity, had done what they could to conceal the place where our Saviour was buried. They had heaped upon it a great quantity of stones and rubbish, besides building a temple to Venus; that those who came thither to adore him, might seem to pay their worship to a marble idol representing this false deity. They had moreover erected a statue of Jupiter in the place where our Saviour rose from the dead, as we are informed by St. Jerome; which figure continued there from the emperor Adrian’s time to Constantine’s; which precautions of the persecutors show the veneration which Christians paid from the beginning to the instruments of our redemption.
Helena, being willing to spare no pains to compass her pious design, consulted all people at Jerusalem and near it, whom she thought likely to assist her in finding out the cross; and was credibly informed, that if she could find out the sepulchre, she would likewise find the instruments of the punishment; it being always the custom among the Jews to make a great hole near the place where the body of the criminal was buried, and to throw into it whatever belonged to his execution; looking upon all these things as detestable objects, and which for that reason ought to be removed out of sight.
The pious empress, therefore, ordered the profane buildings to be pulled down, the statues to be broken in pieces, and the rubbish to be removed; and upon digging to a great depth, they discovered the holy sepulchre, and near it three crosses, also the nails which had pierced our Saviour’s body, and the title which had been fixed to his cross.
By this discovery, they understood that one of the three crosses was that which they were in quest of, and that the other two belonged to the two malefactors between whom our Saviour had been crucified. But, whereas the title was found separate from the cross, a difficulty remained to distinguish which of the three was that on which our Divine Redeemer consummated his sacrifice for the salvation of the world. In this perplexity the holy bishop Macarius, knowing that one of the principal ladies of the city lay extremely ill, suggested to the empress to cause the three crosses to be carried to the sick person, not doubting but God would discover which was the cross they sought for.
This being done, St. Macarius prayed that God would have regard to their faith, and after his prayer, applied the crosses singly to the patient, who was immediately and perfectly recovered by the touch of one of the three crosses, the other two having been tried without effect. St. Helena, full of joy for having found the treasure which she had so earnestly sought and so highly esteemed, built a church on the spot, and lodged it there with great veneration, having provided an extraordinary rich case for it. She afterwards carried part of it to the emperor Constantine, then at Constantinople, who received it with great veneration: another part she sent or rather carried to Rome, to be placed in the church which she built there, called Of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, where it remains to this day.
The discovery of the cross must have happened about the month of May, or early in the spring. For St. Helena went the same year to Constantinople, and from thence to Rome, where she died in the arms of her son, on the 18th of August, 326, as Pagi demonstrates, from Eusebius and Gothefridus.
The title was sent by St. Helena to the same church in Rome, and reposited on the top of an arch, where it was found in a case of lead, in 1492, as may be read at length in Bozius. The inscription in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin is in red letters, and the wood was whitened. Thus it was in 1492; but these colours are since faded. Also the words Jesus and Judæorum are eaten away. The board is nine, but must have been twelve inches long…
…The cross was chosen by our dear Redeemer to be the glorious instrument of his victory and triumph over the devil and sin; and by his death thereon he has purchased for us redemption, grace, and glory. The cross is his holy standard, under which all his followers fight his battles; and, according to the holy fathers, will be borne before him in a triumphant manner, when he shall come in glory to judge the world.
The church professes a very high regard and veneration for this mysterious and salutary sign, giving it an honourable place in her churches, making frequent use of it in her holy offices, in the administration of the sacraments, and on many other occasions: in which particulars she imitates the earliest and purest ages of Christianity. It is the remark of St. Jerome, “that if the ark was held in such high veneration among the Jews, how much more ought the Christians to respect the wood of the cross, whereon our Saviour offered himself a bleeding victim for our sins?”
By devoutly respecting the sign of the cross, we profess our faith in Christ, who was crucified for us; we excite our hope in his merits, kindle his love in our breasts, renew the remembrance of his sacred death, and inflame our meditations on his adorable passion, in which we learn all virtue and all spiritual knowledge. What obedience are we here taught! seeing Christ himself “learned obedience from those things which he suffered.”
____________________________________________________________________
What ‘separation of church and state’ really means for students
The term “separation of church and state” has been weaponized against Christians to silence us from sharing our faith and to sideline religious expression in the public square.
BY: Fred Pry, The American Thinker (April 28, 2026).
The term “separation of church and state” has been weaponized against Christians to silence us from sharing our faith and to sideline religious expression in the public square. That tension was on full display earlier this month, when the White House Religious Liberty Commission convened lawmakers and faith leaders alike. According to Christian author and broadcaster Eric Metaxas, “at the heart of American liberty and religious liberty, is faith in the God of the Bible.” Chairman Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pushed further, stating, “there is no such thing as ‘separation of church and state’ in the Constitution.” This debate is no longer theoretical; it is playing out in classrooms across America, where students’ freedom to live out and share their faith is increasingly under pressure.
So, what does it mean to have freedom of religion for kids in American schools? Does it mean your children are free to practice religion at home and church but not in public? Must they stay quiet about God in the classroom and online school platforms, and only talk about Him at break time? Absolutely not. If you have a child in public school, it’s important that both you and your child understand your right to freedom of religion for children to practice their faith in school.
As a constitutional right, “freedom of religion” for students also includes the “free exercise of religion.” Faith is meaningless if a person cannot live out their faith in public as they please.
What “separation of church and state” actually means is that the government may not establish a religion, force a particular religion on people, or prevent the free exercise of religion by discriminating against or suppressing expression. Thomas Jefferson used the phrase in a personal letter to reassure people that the government would not interfere in religious beliefs or practice, because prior to the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, some states endorsed particular religions. Government staying out of religion does not mean religious people must stay out of government, or that they must never bring their beliefs and practices with them into public places and events. That would be a government prohibition or prevention of religion.
The protected right of freedom of religion for children
While we’re privileged to have access to freedom of religion for students in American schools, some countries do not recognize freedom of religion, yet Christians must obey God rather than man. God’s law is always the ultimate law. In the United States, however, the Constitution recognizes the freedom of conscience and of religious practice, so when uninformed people try to intimidate or restrict us, we can politely resist with the confidence that the highest law in the land is on our side, protecting freedom of religion for everyone.
Telling children they may not openly pray in school or talk about Jesus, during non-instructional time or in contexts where other students are permitted to speak without limit to time or place, is a violation of free speech, freedom of religion for students and free exercise of that religion. As our faith should affect every part of our lives and decisions, there are plenty of times when it would be appropriate to speak of religious beliefs without straying from the classroom topic.
How to exercise freedom of religion for students in classrooms
When it comes to freedom of religion for children in public schools, your child has every right to voluntarily speak about their beliefs in school — whether it be a conversation with another student, a comment in a class discussion about literature or philosophy, or a written paper that meets assignment criteria.
Government representatives (such as school administrators and teachers) must extend equal treatment and equal access to all individuals and groups that are similarly situated within school bodies. If a school allows students to pass out opinion fliers, hang posters and attend after-school clubs led by adults, the school cannot deny any students the right to do all the same things.
The fight for freedom of religion for children
This right to freedom of religion for students who believe in Jesus was more firmly secured for American Christians everywhere in a 2001 case that went to the Supreme Court, Good News Club v. Milford Central School District. Despite the clear ruling, school districts across the country continue to try to keep Good News Club out – forcing Child Evangelism Fellowship to defend this right in nearly 400 legal victories, including several in recent months, proving the fight for religious freedom in schools is far from over. If we fail to defend this freedom now, we risk raising a generation that concludes faith no longer belongs at the center of their lives.
GFK
Observations From The Fifth Estate 