What are all those people doing? Why are they singing? What are they carrying? These are some questions Hyattsville locals might have asked one another on Sunday if they found themselves near St. Jerome’s Catholic Church.
The local parish, which was established in 1886, organized a procession during their Sunday church service. Parishioners came out of the church and walked around the block in a long line while joyfully singing hymns.
The occasion? Sunday marked the feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the day that the Catholic church celebrates Saint Helena’s discovery of the True Cross in 320 and the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which marks the site of the Crucifixion, in 335.
This year, St. Jerome’s celebration was enriched by a fragment of the True Cross that St. Jerome’s new parish priest, Father Matthew Fish, received from a nearby parish. After the procession, parishioners had the opportunity to pray with this sacred relic.
Father Matt, who lived on Oglethorpe Street 17 years ago while teaching and coaching at DeMatha Catholic High School, says that processions are “a way to manifest our faith in an embodied, public way, underscoring the truth that what we believe is not a private reality but something that implicates every part of our lives.”
He believes that “a wonderful stroke of Providence” has brought him back to the parish he attended so long ago, and he is excited about the “many opportunities to witness to and serve the greater community here in Hyattsville, to offer a sign of hope and joy, as well as support these new generations of Catholics that have brought such growth to our parish.”
Many parishioners join him in that excitement. Our neighbors can hear us singing at Saint Jerome’s each Sunday. And sometimes, they will see us processing through the streets of the beautiful little town we all call home.
The views expressed in this column belong to its author. The Hyattsville Life & Times reserves the right to edit “From Where I Stand” submissions for brevity and clarity.