Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Feast, History and Prayers

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, kept on September 14, celebrates the Cross of Jesus Christ as the instrument of our salvation and the sign of his victory. On Good Friday the Church contemplates the Cross in sorrow; on this feast she lifts it up in triumph. The feast goes back to the finding of the True Cross by St. Helena and the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Below is its history, the readings, the meaning of the Cross, and prayers for the day.

The history of the feast

The finding of the Cross. According to ancient tradition, St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem around 326 and found the Cross of Christ near Calvary.
The dedication of the Holy Sepulchre. Constantine built a great basilica over Calvary and the tomb of Jesus. It was dedicated on September 13, 335, and on the next day the relic of the Cross was raised up (“exalted”) before the people for veneration. September 14 became the feast.
The recovery of the Cross. In 614 the Persians captured Jerusalem and carried off the relic; the Emperor Heraclius recovered it and brought it back to Jerusalem around 630, an event also celebrated on this feast.

The readings of the feast

The Gospel recalls the bronze serpent Moses raised in the desert, which healed all who looked at it (Numbers 21:8–9):

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him, may not perish; but may have life everlasting.

St. Paul sings of Christ’s obedience unto death and his exaltation:

He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.
For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names:
That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:
And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

The meaning of the Cross

The Cross is the price of our redemption. By his death on the Cross, Christ took away our sins and reconciled us to God.
The Cross is a victory. What was an instrument of shame became the throne of the King, the “tree of life” of the new creation.
The Cross is our way. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
The Cross is our sign. We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross, and a crucifix hangs in every Catholic church and home.

The traditional prayer of the feast

From a 1916 daily missal:

O God, who dost this day gladden us by the festal anniversary of the Exaltation of the holy Cross, grant, we beseech thee, that as we know this mystery on earth we may merit in heaven the happiness it has purchased. Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

A short prayer often said before a crucifix and at every Station of the Cross:

We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee.
Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.

Our Lady of Sorrows

The next day, September 15, the Church remembers Our Lady of Sorrows, Mary standing at the foot of the Cross. See the Stabat Mater and the Seven Sorrows Rosary.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Exaltation of the Holy Cross?

September 14 every year (in 2027, a Tuesday). When it falls on a Sunday, it replaces the Sunday Mass.

What color is worn on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross?

Red, the color of the Passion and of the Holy Spirit.

What is the True Cross?

The cross on which Jesus died. Relics venerated as fragments of it are kept in Jerusalem, Rome (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme) and many other churches.

More prayers of the Passion

Texts and sources

Scripture: John 3:14–15; Philippians 2:8–11; Numbers 21:8–9; Matthew 16:24, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
Collect: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), public domain (archive.org).
Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), “Exaltation of the Holy Cross.”