A Catholic tradition
Introduced by the Spaniards in the Philippines since 1800’s, Santacruzan is a popular Filipino Catholic tradition that originated as a way to commemorate and to re-tell the story of how Queen Helena, or “Reyna Elena,” mother of Constantine the Great, uncovered the Holy Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.
The actual practice of Santacruzan is an effective way for the younger generation and the Catholic faithful to be catechized about our traditional Filipino practices.
How was the Cross uncovered?
The Roman Emperor Hadrian had built during the 130s a temple to Venus over the supposed site of Jesus’s tomb near Calvary and renamed the city Aelia Capitolina. When Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the Roman Empire in 306, he appointed his mother Helena as Empress. Constantine was converted to Christianity and is considered a key historical figure responsible for turning Christianity from being the persecuted minority to being the official religion of Rome. He gave her mother, who became a zealous Christian, unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of the Christian tradition. At the old age of 75, around 300 years after Christ’s crucifixion, the Queen went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem in search of the Holy Cross at Calvary. The temple of Venus was demolished, thereby exposing the site where Christ was crucified.
Emperor Constantine himself wrote to St. Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem, ordering him to make a search for the Cross on Mount Calvary. Just east of the site, three crosses were found in a rock-cistern as well as the titulus (the wood plaque inscribed with INRI – Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum). The question then arose, “Which was the cross of Christ?”
Queen Helena refused to be swayed by anything short of solid proof, performed a test The three crosses and the titulus were removed from the cistern. A woman, dying from a terminal disease, was brought to the discovery site. She was asked to touch the crosses, one by one. After touching the third cross, she was cured, thereby the True Cross was identified. Historians also relate the later finding of other instruments of the Passion on the site.
St. Ambrose preached that when St. Helena found the true cross, “she worshiped not the wood, but the King, Him, who hung on the wood. She burned with an earnest desire of touching the guarantee of Immortality.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem provides some corroboration on the finding of the Cross. In his letter to Emperor Constantius (Constantine’s son and successor), St. Cyril stated, “The saving wood of the cross was found at Jerusalem in the time of Constantine.”
The anniversary of Queen Helena’s discovery of the cross is on May 3. On the site of discovery, Constantine ordered the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. With the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the Chapel of the Finding of the True Cross.
Our Commemoration & Celebration
There is usually a Novena (nine days of prayer) in honor of the Holy Cross. On the 9th day (Katapusan/Tapusan), a colorful pageant/parade of Queens (procession and singing of Ave Maria) is held. This is what we call Santacruzan.
“This is also a great opportunity to honor the different Titles of Mama Mary, some Bible characters, symbols related to Philippine Christianity; the fundamental principles of Catholicism (theological virtues) and Reyna Elena & Constantine.”
An excerpt from our post, Flowers of May (Flores de Mayo): Santacruzanhttps://smcfilipino.com/2020/05/31/flowers-of-may-flores-de-mayo-santacruzan/.
While Santacruzan is a delightful custom that relates the story of how Queen Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, found the Cross on which Christ was crucified during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land, our celebration really reminds us of how Christ was crucified for our salvation. It’s a show of faith and hope for the salvation of the Cross offers. Because of its popularity, we need to keep in mind the real reason for the celebration.
“It is not a fashion show. It invites us to reflect on the Cross, and how through it, Jesus Christ made our salvation possible,” Archbishop Antonio Tagle
.%20The%20question%20then%20arose,%20“Which%20was%20the%20cross%20of%20Christ?”/pp%20style=padding-left:%2040px;Queen%20Helena%20refused%20to%20be%20swayed%20by%20anything%20short%20of%20solid%20proof,%20performed%20a%20test%20The%20three%20crosses%20and%20the%20titulus%20were%20removed%20from%20the%20cistern.%20A%20woman,%20dying%20from%20a%20terminal%20disease,%20was%20brought%20to%20the%20discovery%20site.%20She%20was%20asked%20to%20touch%20the%20crosses,%20one%20by%20one.%20After%20touching%20the%20third%20cross,%20she%20was%20cured,%20thereby%20the%20True%20Cross%20was%20identified.%20Historians%20also%20relate%20the%20later%20finding%20of%20other%20instruments%20of%20the%20Passion%20on%20the%20site./pblockquote%20style=padding-left:%2040px;p%20style=padding-left:%2040px;span%20style=color:%20#800000;emSt.%20Ambrose%20preached%20that%20when%20St.%20Helena%20found%20the%20true%20cross,%20“she%20worshiped%20not%20the%20wood,%20but%20the%20King,%20Him,%20who%20hung%20on%20the%20wood.%20She%20burned%20with%20an%20earnest%20desire%20of%20touching%20the%20guarantee%20of%20Immortality./em/span/p/blockquotep%20style=padding-left:%2040px;St.%20Cyril%20of%20Jerusalem%20provides%20some%20corroboration%20on%20the%20finding%20of%20the%20Cross.%20%20%20In%20his%20letter%20to%20Emperor%20Constantius%20(Constantine’s%20son%20and%20successor),%20St.%20Cyril%20stated,%20emspan%20style=color:%20#800000;“The%20saving%20%20wood%20of%20the%20cross%20was%20%20found%20at%20Jerusalem%20in%20the%20time%20of%20Constantine.”/span/em/pp%20style=padding-left:%2040px;The%20anniversary%20of%20Queen%20Helena’s%20discovery%20of%20the%20cross%20is%20on%20May%203.%20On%20the%20site%20of%20discovery,%20Constantine%20ordered%20the%20building%20of%20the%20Church%20of%20the%20Holy%20Sepulchre.%20With%20the%20Church%20of%20the%20Holy%20Sepulchre%20is%20the%20Chapel%20of%20the%20Finding%20of%20the%20True%20Cross./ph4%20style=padding-left:%2040px;Our%20Commemoration%20&%20Celebration/h4p%20style=padding-left:%2040px;img%20class=alignnone%20wp-image-43378%20src=https://smcfilipino.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/true-cross-2-300x201.jpg%20alt=%20width=500%20height=335%20//pp%20style=padding-left:%2040px;There%20is%20usually%20a%20Novena%20(nine%20days%20of%20prayer)%20in%20honor%20of%20the%20Holy%20Cross.%20On%20the%209th%20day%20(Katapusan/Tapusan),%20a%20colorful%20pageant/parade%20of%20Queens%20(procession%20and%20singing%20of%20Ave%20Maria)%20is%20held.%20This%20is%20what%20we%20call%20Santacruzan./pp%20style=padding-left:%2080px;em“This%20is%20also%20a%20great%20opportunity%20to%20honor%20the%20different%20Titles%20of%20Mama%20Mary,%20some%20Bible%20characters,%20symbols%20related%20to%20Philippine%20Christianity;%20the%20fundamental%20principles%20of%20Catholicism%20(theological%20virtues)%20and%20Reyna%20Elena%20&%20Constantine.”/em/pp%20style=padding-left:%2040px;An%20excerpt%20from%20our%20post,%20Flowers%20of%20May%20(Flores%20de%20Mayo):%20Santacruzana%20href=https://smcfilipino.com/2020/05/31/flowers-of-may-flores-de-mayo-santacruzan/%20target=_blank%20rel=noopenerhttps://smcfilipino.com/2020/05/31/flowers-of-may-flores-de-mayo-santacruzan//a./pWhile%20Santacruzan%20is%20a%20delightful%20custom%20that%20relates%20the%20story%20of%20how%20Queen%20Helena,%20the%20mother%20of%20Emperor%20Constantine,%20found%20the%20Cross%20on%20which%20Christ%20was%20crucified%20during%20her%20pilgrimage%20to%20the%20Holy%20Land,%20our%20celebration%20really%20reminds%20us%20of%20how%20Christ%20was%20crucified%20for%20our%20salvation.%20It's%20a%20show%20of%20faith%20and%20hope%20for%20the%20salvation%20of%20the%20Cross%20offers.%20Because%20of%20its%20popularity,%20we%20need%20to%20keep%20in%20mind%20the%20real%20reason%20for%20the%20celebration.p%20style=text-align:%20left;%20padding-left:%2040px;em“It%20is%20not%20a%20fashion%20show.%20It%20invites%20us%20to%20reflect%20on%20the%20Cross,%20and%20how%20through%20it,%20Jesus%20Christ%20made%20our%20salvation%20possible,”%20/emArchbishop%20Antonio%20Tagle/p ){kind=link}
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