About Us
Holy Cross Parish
More than a building, Holy Cross means family, community, inclusion, and service to others.
Location:
126 High St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: (831) 423-4182
Fax: (831) 423-1043
email: office@holycrosssantacruz.com
Website: http://www.holycrosssantacruz.com
Mailing Address:
Holy Cross Parish
126 High St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Administrative Staff:
Pastor: Rev. Joseph Occhiuto |
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Secretary: Gladys M. Cox |
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Facilities Manager / Hall Rental: Toni Giovannoni |
469-3560 | |
Liturgy and Music: Sr. Barbara Long, O. P. |
423-4973 | |
Faith Formation / Sacramental Preparation |
458-3041 | |
High School Youth Ministry: Mary Sue Babb |
459-7540 | |
Junior High Youth Ministry |
459-7540 | |
Christian Initiation (RCIA) |
423-4182 | |
Outreach |
423-4182 | |
Mission Galeria: Sr. Betty Pedrazzi, I.H.M. |
426-5686 | |
Martha's Helpers |
423-4182 | |
Holy Cross School |
423-4447 | |
Holy Cross Preschool |
425-1782 | |
Newman Center (UCSC & Cabrillo College Ministry) |
423-9400 | |
Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal (victim abuse) |
800-321-5220 |
NEW HAPPENINGS!
Carnevale di Santa Croce: The Annual Dinner and Auction is coming May 1! The organizing committee is busy planning this year’s festivities. The theme this year is “Carnevale di Santa Croce”, which will feature Italian cuisine, a silent auction and entertainment. If you are interested in helping with this event please contact Jeff Knapp, committee chairmen, at 454-8837 or jrknapp07@hotmail.com
EXPLORE LUKE’S PARABLES AS STORY, MUSIC, & ART: Hear the parables of Luke told by familiar Holy Cross voices. Fr. Mike Marini, our seminarian, Steven Price, and Chris Nunez will offer reflections on the parables followed by opportunities for group discussion. Please join us Saturday, March 13, in Room 106 of 210 High Street. We will start at 10 a.m. for fellowship and refreshments and the program will follow from 10:30 until noon.parallel children's program for families is also offered.
Water and Fire: Please join Fr. Mike Marini for a Lenten journey that will study “The Easter Vigil: words, songs, sacraments and symbols”. The group will meet on Wednesday March 3 and March 10 at Holy Cross, Room 106 from 10-11:30 a.m. and at Star of the Sea Church from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Register vie email at shlhsmt@aol.com or by phone 457-8628. Please give name, street address, phone number and mention “vigil”.
FAMILY POTLUCK WITH FR. JOE, Fr. RUDOLFO, AND STEVEN PRICE: Our Young Families ministry invites all parents and children to join us for a potluck in the Old Rectory on Sunday March 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. Take this chance to get to know our new clergy and our seminarian on a more personal level! Bring a dish to share and your own plates/flatware/beverages for your family."Families of Holy Cross - Santa Cruz" Facebook group event for more information and to R.S.V.P.
Want to Learn about the Catholic Faith? We have a wonderful process for those who are interested in learning more about the Catholic faith. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is for anyone who has never been baptized, or was baptized in another faith or even the Catholic faith and would now like to complete their sacraments of initiation with Eucharist and Confirmation. If you or someone you know would be interested, please call our seminarian student Steven Price at 423-4182 for more information.
Holy Cross School Applications Available: Holy Cross School (423-4447) and Holy Cross Preschool (425-1782) are now accepting applications for the 2009-2010 school year. If you are interested please call the school for application information.
Marriage Saving with Retrouvaille: Retrouvaille is a program for married couples that feel bored, frustrated, or angry in their marriage. Some experience coldness and simply shut down. Others experience conflict and arguments in their relationship. Most don’t know how to change the situation or even communicate with their spouse about it. This program has helped tens of thousands of couples experiencing marital difficulty at all levels. For confidential information about the program or to register, call 479- 1260. Visit us online at Monterey@RetroCA.com or www.HelpOurMarriage.com.
Signing up for Consistent Giving is Easy! Signing up is as easy as picking up a Consistent Giving card in the back of the church, filling it out and turning it in to the collection basket or the parish office. For more information call Toni at 469-3560.
Directions
Holy Cross Church is located at 126 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, at the corner of Mission and High Streets, one block east of Highway 1, which turns into Mission Street within the city of Santa Cruz.
• Directions if driving from San Jose and points north along California Route 880 southbound (also called "Highway 17" Southbound): Take Highway 17 over the Santa Cruz mountains into Santa Cruz, where 17 will turn into Highway 1. Take Highway 1 North, following the signs to Half Moon Bay, through one stoplight. At the second stoplight, which is Mission Street, turn left and drive two short blocks to the Mission Plaza Park on your left. At Emmet Street (Holy Cross Elementary School is at the corner), turn left; the Mission is on the right, and Holy Cross Church is straight ahead.
• Directions if driving from San Francisco and points north along Highway 1 southbound: Take Highway 1 South all the way into Santa Cruz. Highway 1 turns into Mission Street. Follow Mission Street (8 stoplights from Western Drive) to the Mission Plaza Park on your left. At Emmet Street (Holy Cross Elementary School is at the corner), turn left; the Mission is on your right, and Holy Cross Church is straight ahead.
• Directions if driving from Monterey and points south along Highway 1 northbound: Take Highway 1 north into Santa Cruz, following the signs to Half Moon Bay, through one stoplight. At the second stoplight, which is Mission Street, turn left and drive two short blocks to the Mission Plaza Park on your left. At Emmet Street (Holy Cross Elementary School is at the corner), turn left; the Mission is on your right, and Holy Cross Church is straight ahead.
A Brief History
The Mission Santa Cruz period
On October 17, 1769, the Portola expedition arrived at the San Lorenzo River and set up a cross, calling the area "Santa Cruz," meaning city of the "Holy Cross." Twenty years later, Fathers Alonzo, Salazar, and Lopez arrived and pitched their tents on the hill where the church of the same name now stands. The cornerstone of the mission church was laid on February 27, 1793, on the site of the current parish church, and was dedicated May 10, 1794.
The mission period begins to draw to a close in 1834 when its lands were secularized by the Mexican government. By 1840 the mission buildings were falling into disrepair. In 1845 an earthquake toppled the church's bell tower. With the collapse of the mission facade, caused by another earthquake on February 16, 1857, the mission period of Holy Cross ended.
Holy Cross Parish -- the beginnings
In 1857, the cornerstone was laid for a wooden church to replace the mission church. It served the parish until 1898, when it was torn down. In 1862, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul opened Holy Cross School, a day school as well as a boarding school, the first educational institution in the parish.
In 1889, the construction of the present brick gothic church, under Rev. Hugh McNamee, marks the end of the transition from Mission Santa Cruz to Holy Cross Parish. On September 25, 1891, the citizens of Santa Cruz erected a granite archway in front of the church to commemorate the founding of Mission Santa Cruz. New buildings graced the parish from the 1920s through the 1960s, including the high school and rectory. From 1982 to 1984, the interior of the church was renovated in preparation for the 1989 centennial. In 1989 the church was formally consecrated. Then on October 17, 1989, the earth shook again. The church was declared unsafe, and services were moved to the parish hall. On June 30, 1990, the parish hall itself burned down! Services were moved to the school courtyard, and then into a tent pavilion.
Holy Cross Parish today
During the ten years after the earthquake, the church was repaired and retrofitted, along with the convent and the Mission Chapel. A new parish hall and gym were completed in 1999, and a Historic Garden was begun over the old Mission burial grounds in tribute to our Native American brothers and sisters.
