Does anyone know if any Byzantine Churches in the U.S. observes this feast? Just curious.

Slava Isusu Khrestu!

This is what I found:

The Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord is commemorated by the Church on August 1. It is the first of the three "Feasts of the Savior" in August. (The second is the great feastday of the Transfiguration, and the third is the Translation of the Image Not-Made-by-Hands on August 16.





It became a tradition to carry the wood of the Venerable Cross through the streets of Constantinople for the sanctification of the city starting in the beginning of August. This was done because illnesses were more common in August at that time. On the eve of the feast, it was taken out of the imperial treasury, and laid upon the altar of the Great Church of Hagia Sophia. From this Feast until the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, they carried the relic of the Cross, throughout the city in procession, offering it to the people to venerate.


Unworthy
Kolya

We're doing the Paraklesis, as well as the "Little Blessing of the Water," this evening at our church. I'm not sure if we're doing anything special with procession or veneration of the Cross to observe this. I'll report back tomorrow!

(We're Byzantine Catholic)

Slava Isusu Khrestu

We also are having Little Paraklesis Thursday of this week. Here it is from our priest Father Nikolaos in our weekly e-bulletin update.

"THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 - SMALL PARAKLESIS TO THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS, 7:00PM – The Paraklesis service is held in English and Greek, and there are handouts for everybody to follow along in English and Greek."


Unworthy
Kolya

It was lovely, but there wasn't anything especially commemorating the Procession of the Cross. Father did use a beautiful small gold hand cross for the blessing of the water, and we did have a procession at the end, all of us following him as he blessed the entire church with the newly blessed water, as we sang the troparion of the Cross.

We Melkites celebrate that feast on August 1.

Fr. Deacon Ed