Welcome to the 60th Anniversary Newsletter!
Hello parishioners, friends, families and all members of the Holy Cross community,
We are excited to share with you that this year we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of our parish church and school here at Holy Cross! Throughout the year, you will be learning more about the history of the church and school, learning more about our parishioners, our church leaders and our school faculty, as well as hearing about upcoming events. Holy Cross has a proud tradition of faithfully teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and putting our faith into action in service of others through ministries to the poor, sick and others in need, and we will continue this strong tradition in many ways throughout 2021.
If you are interested in joining the 60th Anniversary Committee, we welcome you! Please email hc60anniversary@gmail.com with your interest and we will connect back with you.
Thank you for being a part of this wonderful community,
Father Robert Buchmeier, Pastor
Mrs. Lisa Kane, Principal
Mrs. Megan Harbold, 60th Anniversary Chair
Upcoming Event: Digital Art Show!
Calling all who love
Holy Cross Church and School!
In honor of our 60th Anniversary, we will be publishing a digital show with your creative submissions!
Create a work of art, write a poem, or a short paragraph that expresses "What Holy Cross Means To Me." Every parishioner and student of any age is called, and you can submit your work as an individual or as a family.
Take a picture of your work and send it in png or jpg format (maximum file size 512mb) to hc60anniversary@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2021.
Submissions will be subject to review for content and appropriateness prior to publication. A submission indicates permission for Holy Cross Church to publish the content on the parish website.
All entries will be placed into a random drawing for a winner to receive a special item of Holy Cross spirit wear!
History of Holy Cross: Official Decree
Interview by Kate Oczypok
Holy Cross History: Art Romano
Art Romano has lived on Emily Street in Kensington for decades. He first found himself in the DC region when he moved from Utica, NY with his first wife, Shirley. He worked for the Department of the Navy and spent years working as an engineer. Art was educated at Syracuse University.
His family (including three children) joined Holy Cross in 1967. Back in the ‘60s, there were parish boundaries so Art and his family were technically supposed to go to a church on Viers Mill Rd.
“We went to Holy Cross and it was just so nice, we talked to the pastor at the time and asked if there’s anything we could do to become parishioners there instead,” Art said. “He said ‘if your kids want to come, we can make you a member of Holy Cross.’”
Art and Shirley became friends with six other families with children of similar ages. They used to meet in Lewis Hall after the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday mornings and enjoy donuts and coffee. “We visited each other constantly and spent some Easters together and went on hikes—we never missed mass and were always there for each other,” Art said.
Throughout his years at Holy Cross, the now 80-something has helped fellow parishioners and neighbors fix things around their home. Using his engineering background, Romano is often approached by people after Mass asking if he was the “Mr. Romano that fixed things.”
Art even met his second wife Donna through the Holy Cross community. After Shirley passed away from breast cancer, Art met Donna, who lived in his neighborhood and worked as a secretary at Holy Cross School. Three years later, the two were married. Donna has since passed away from Alzheimer’s and dementia but Art stayed at Holy Cross, saying he “still loves it.”
While he says getting older and the current COVID-19 pandemic have made things a bit harder with getting to church, Art still volunteers in the usher ministry. “Ushering lets me help others and communicate with people, being there for them if they ever need anything,” he said.
Art loves Holy Cross because it’s not a big parish. “You’re not just another person there,” he said. “It’s just a nice place to be.”
For what he hopes for Holy Cross the next 60 years, Art said “children are the kingpin of what you’re trying to keep.” Children are important to keep the Catholic religion growing, he added.
Art typically attends the 5 p.m. Saturday mass where you can find him ushering the center aisle!
Trivia
Question: Why is the building that houses PK3, PK4 and the Library called The Miriam Center?
Please send your answers to hc60anniversary@gmail.com with the subject “Miriam Center Trivia”. Answer will be in the next newsletter.
Fun Fact: The Miriam Center was originally designed with a PK classroom, a library and an art room fully equipped with a kiln, sinks and special deep flat shelving for art!
