St. Tikhon Chapel
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Afterfeast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross · Great Martyr Eustathius (Eustace) and his family
The Church continues in the light of the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. On the Sunday after the feast, Christ’s words are placed before us plainly: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” The Cross is therefore not only something we venerate; it reveals the shape of Christian discipleship.
Monday, September 21, is the Leavetaking of the Elevation of the Cross. Later in the week, the Church commemorates the Conception of Saint John the Baptist on Wednesday, Saint Sergius of Radonezh on Friday, and the repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian on Saturday.
On September 23 the Church commemorates the Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John. The Gospel reading from Luke begins with the priest Zacharias and Elizabeth, who had remained faithful to God despite their long years without a child. The Archangel Gabriel announces that their prayer has been heard and that their son will prepare a people for the Lord.
The feast directs our attention to God’s providence working quietly before Saint John ever appears at the Jordan. His prophetic ministry begins within a faithful household and through a promise that seemed, by ordinary human expectation, impossible. The Church invites us to trust that God is at work even when His purposes have not yet become visible.
The Church does not leave the Cross behind when the feast concludes. The Sunday after the Elevation joins veneration of the Cross to Christ’s command that His disciples deny themselves and follow Him. Christian self-denial is not contempt for the good things God has made. It is the refusal to let pride, comfort, resentment, or self-will become our master.
In ordinary life, taking up the Cross can be very quiet: keeping prayer when we would rather be distracted, forgiving rather than nursing an injury, serving without recognition, and choosing faithfulness when another path would be easier. The feast becomes fruitful when reverence before the Cross continues as obedience to Christ.
On September 25 the Church commemorates the repose of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, one of the great monastic saints of Russia. His life was marked by prayer, humility, obedience, and service. Although others looked to him for leadership, Saint Sergius did not seek prominence for himself; his authority grew from a life centered on Christ.
His witness reminds us that spiritual strength is not the same as self-assertion. The Christian life is formed through steady prayer, repentance, work, and love of neighbor. Whether our vocation is in a monastery, a family, a parish, or the workplace, holiness is cultivated through faithfulness in the place God has given us.
- His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon.
- His Eminence Archbishop Daniel.
- Our clergy, monastics, seminarians, missionaries, and every parish and mission of the Orthodox Church in America.
- Those preparing for Holy Baptism and Holy Chrismation.
- Those who are ill, homebound, or traveling.
- Those who have recently reposed in the Lord.
- The faithful, benefactors, and everyone laboring for the growth of St. Tikhon Orthodox Chapel.
- The continued growth of Orthodox Christianity throughout North America.
May the Lord remember all those who have asked for our prayers and all those known to Him who are in need of His mercy.