Holy Cross Episcopal Church

10/17/2026

Dear Holy Cross, Episcopal Day School, and Friends,

Halloween is around the corner! Contrary to what many people think, Halloween (from “All Hallows Eve” or “All Saints Eve”) is thoroughly Christian in its roots. To be sure, it has drifted from the Church. But it is good for us to recover the holiness of this feast.

It is commonly claimed that our Halloween traditions were originally pagan practices from Ireland. This is simply false. (Ronald Hutton clearly shows this in his book Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain.) All Saints from ancient times has been a celebration of the holy Christians that have gone before us. It also grew into a time when we pray for loved ones who have died on All Souls Day (November 2). But all of this we do for purely Christian reasons.

Trick-or-treating, costumes, parties—all Christian. Even the classic Halloween colors of black and orange: these come from the All Souls Day service. As a requiem service for those who had died, the traditional color for the vestments was black. Further, the candles were traditionally unbleached beeswax, which had an orange tint.

This festival is so deeply Christian because Jesus’s victory is at the heart of it. By his death and resurrection, our Lord has conquered sin. We see this so vividly in the lives of the Saints. Our Lord has conquered death. The fact that our prayers can bless those who have died is a sign of this triumph. And our Lord has conquered the forces of evil. So Christians started dressing up on All Hallows Eve; it was a way of mocking the powers of darkness, which have been utterly defeated. The long night of sin and death is powerless before our Lord Jesus Christ, who is himself the Dawn, the Light of the World.

Grace be with you,

Fr. Stephen

10/16/2026

Only ONE more sleep until our movie night under the stars! Weather will be perfect to sit wrapped in a warm blanket while eating popcorn and watching a movie. Bring your family and friends too!

10/16/2026

Thank you again for coming out and supporting our October luncheon. It was a beautiful day with great fellowship.

10/15/2026

Temps are falling and we have a hearty meal waiting for you today! Can't eat in, no worries! Call and place a to-go order.

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

Dear Holy Cross, Episcopal Day School, and friends,

“Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense, and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice.” Appropriately, this verse from Psalm 141 is the first sentence of Scripture that one can read at the beginning of Evening Prayer.

Next week, we will start having Evening Prayer in the Church at 4pm on weekdays, every Monday through Friday. Also, Morning Prayer will now be said on Fridays at 8am, in addition to the long-standing Monday through Thursday morning service. So the schedule will be Morning Prayer at 8am and Evening Prayer at 4pm, Monday through Friday.

This timing will not work for everyone. Of course, I’m thrilled about anyone who can join. For those who can’t, I hope you're encouraged to persevere in your own practice of prayer each day. But beyond personal devotions, the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer is a public act. It is done on behalf of the whole congregation, and, through the congregation, on behalf of the whole city.

“Let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice.” Israel was commanded to offer morning and evening sacrifices in the Temple every day. Of course, not every single Israelite showed up. Nonetheless, in a representative way, God’s people came before him in worship each day, and the Lord could be counted on to remember his whole people in mercy.

The Psalm teaches us that the Church’s daily prayers can be that. Holy Cross has been coming before the Lord on weekday mornings for some time now. Next week, we will deepen that ministry, expanding our daily sacrifice of prayer and praise. Whatever your schedule, there is grace in this for you because we are in this together. In fact, because the Church is the first-fruits of the wider community, there is grace in this for all of Paris, Texas.

Grace be with you,

Fr. Stephen

Announcements

Baptismal Candidates - Through the rest of this month, please commit to praying each day for our three candidates for Holy Baptism and for their families: Annelise Turk, Oliver Nicholson, and Parker Nicholson. Lord willing, they will be joined to Christ forever in the waters of Baptism on Sunday, November 1 for the Feast of All Saints.

Bible Study Is Underway – Sundays at 9:30am. We have just begun our series "St. Paul's Letters to the Thessalonians: Following Jesus, Even When Following Jesus Is Hard." This week we will read 1 Thessalonians 2. Whether you’re a longtime student of Scripture or if you are somewhat new to the Bible, you are most welcome.

Movie Night Under the Stars – On Saturday, October 17 the Episcopal Day School and Church of the Holy Family will come together at 6pm for an outdoor movie night here on our campus. The Brotherhood of St. Andrew will grill hotdogs for our dinner. Come and join us!

"Healthy Congregations" Program Starts This October

Mother Elizabeth and Father Tom Papazoglakis will lead our first meeting on Saturday, October 24. The morning program of this first meeting is open to the congregation. Check-in and coffee will be at 8am, with the program running from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. “Healthy Congregations” is a program that helps congregations harness their strengths, manage anxiety, and work together to overcome challenges by focusing on mission and God’s calling.

10/08/2026

Holy Cross would like to give a BIG “thank you” to everyone who came out and supported us today!

10/08/2026

It's Chicken Spaghetti Day! Can't wait to see you and come hungry!

10/07/2026

Friends, family, and members of the Holy Cross community — we’d love your support for Episcopal Day School (EDS)!

One easy way to help is by purchasing fresh greenery this season. 🌲 Your purchase not only brings beautiful, fresh greenery to your home or business, but funds raised go directly back to EDS to help provide important resources for our students, including new playground equipment, toys, curriculum materials, and so much more!

📍 Local? Choose the local pickup option. 📦 Out of town? No problem — direct delivery is available for out-of-town orders!

Every purchase makes a difference, and we would be so grateful for your support. ❤️

Please share this post with your friends, family, coworkers, and anyone else you know who might want to help support EDS. The more people we reach, the more we can give back to our school!

🌿 Shop fresh greenery. Support our school. Make a difference! 🌿

https://omt.sffwa.com/shop/episcopaldayschool2026

Thank you for supporting Episcopal Day School! 💚

10/01/2026

Dear Holy Cross, Episcopal Day School, and friends,

Sunday, November 1 is All Saints Day, one of the four great baptismal feasts (BCP, p. 312). On this special day we will celebrate God’s incredible grace at work in the lives of all Christians. In some of our brothers and sisters, the Lord’s handiwork has been especially vivid. We call these Saints-with-a-capital-S. But what is true of them is true for all of us who have been baptized into Christ: the Lord puts broken people back together. What better way to celebrate the Communion of Saints than to add to that number through the Sacrament of Baptism?

Happily, we have families in the Church and in the School that are interested in baptism. Lord willing, this Sunday (Oct. 4) we will enroll these children as Candidates for Baptism during our 10:30am service. Please note: we are not actually performing any baptisms this coming Sunday! We are simply enrolling candidates for Baptism. The actual baptism happens four weeks later. After a person has been enrolled as a candidate, we will have a special time of prayer for that person each Sunday leading up to the day of the feast—Sunday, November 1—when, Lord willing, we baptize them with water in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Would you or anyone you know—say, a newborn or a grandchild or even a friend—be interested in Baptism? If so, reach out to me at [email protected]. Again, the next opportunity to be enrolled as a candidate is this Sunday, October 4, in preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism on November 1. After this, the next time we will enroll candidates for baptism will be on November 29, the First Sunday of Advent.

All Saints Day is a special time to get baptized, but it is also a special time for us as a church family. This time of preparation gives us the opportunity to walk with families and to pray for these people who are about to be marked as Christ’s own forever. Our whole congregation gets involved in making new Christians. Together, we bring people to Jesus, and Jesus makes us saints.

Grace be with you,

Fr. Stephen Crawford



ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bible Study Starts Back This Sunday – This Sunday (October 4) Christian Ed. will start back, from 9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. During October and November we will read through two letters by St. Paul, his first and second letters to the Thessalonians. Whether you’re a longtime student of the Bible or if learning about the Bible something new to you, we hope you’ll join us.

Movie Night Under the Stars – On Saturday, October 17 the Episcopal Day School and Church of the Holy Family will come together at 6pm for an outdoor movie night here on our campus. The Brotherhood of St. Andrew will grill hotdogs for our dinner. Hope to see you there!

"Healthy Congregations" Program Starts This October – Mother Elizabeth and Father Tom Papazoglakis will lead our first meeting on Saturday, October 24. The morning program of this first meeting is open to the congregation. Check-in and coffee will be at 8am, with the program running from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We encourage your attendance, as our presenters introduce the program our leadership team will be taking on over the next few months. “Healthy Congregations” is a tried-and-true program that helps congregations harness their strengths, manage anxiety, and work together to overcome challenges by focusing on mission and God’s calling. Having this program at Holy Cross, in partnership with Bishop Price and the Diocese of Dallas, is a great opportunity for us as a church family.