Holy Cross Romanian Orthodox Church

Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church began in 1921 as a rural Mission Church served by priests who traveled from the Basilica of St. Mary's and Blessed Sacrament parishes in Alexandria, Virginia. The original white clapboard church facility used as a Catholic Mission Church still exists today on Leesburg Pike across from Skyline Center and is currently the home of the Holy Cross Orthodox Church.

Following World War II, Northern Virginia experienced a rapid population growth. In 1950, the Diocese of Richmond purchases a 9 1/2 acre site at the corner of Leesburg Pike and Glen Carlyn Road for the future Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and School. Founding pastor, Father Isidore McCarthy, C.PP.S. rented a store in the Culmore Shopping Center to serve as a temporary church. He offered the first Mass in the temporary church on Easter Sunday of 1952 with 500 parishioners in attendance. Father McCarthy purchased two houses on Glen Carlyn Road to serve as a rectory and a convent. On February 8, 1953, ground was broken on the new parish site for a $200,000 construction project for the new Saint Anthony of Padua Church and School. On January 19, 1954, the new building was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Peter Ireton of the Diocese of Richmond.

Now unused, the old church building fell into a heavily dilapidated state during the next several years, with its windows and doors nailed together and the basement full of mud and stones until the Romanians came to the rescue:

Holy Cross Romanian Orthodox Church
BRIEF HISTORY

Holy Cross Parish in Alexandria, Virginia, was founded in the fall of 1963 through the efforts of a group of Romanians: John Cosma, John Dragoi, Naum Ionescu, Nicolae Lungociu, Simion Radu and Spiridon Voutepsis and Father Theodosie Scala. They decided to establish the first Romanian Orthodox church in the Washington, DC area. Since the first service led by Father Theodosie Scala took place on September 15, they decided to name the church "Exaltation of the Holy Cross".

The 1964 Easter service was broadcast on the Voice of America radio station, and the church's carolers went from house to house at Christmas visiting known Romanian families, spread over an area of ​​over 50 miles in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. But due to the lack of a place to hold services on a regular basis, the church was virtually inactive for two years. In 1965, during a visit to Philadelphia, Most Holy Valerian met with representatives of the "Holy Cross" church and advised them to request admission to the Romanian Diocese. Nicolae Lungociu submitted the application for registration, which was approved at the Congress in Vatra in 1966. Father Ioan Popovici from Philadelphia was temporarily appointed as the priest of the church and at first he held services every 2 months, but from 1968, when he retired from Philadelphia, he dedicated more time to the "Holy Cross" church. In 1969, Deacon Stefan Bogolea was ordained and became Father Popovici's assistant priest. In September of the same year, Most Holy Valerian celebrated the first Romanian Orthodox liturgy at the National Cathedral in Washington. On this occasion, the next day he stopped at the site of the current "St. Cross" church, which was a dilapidated building of the "St. Anton" Catholic church, with its windows and doors nailed together and the basement full of mud and stones. IPS Valerian urged them to try to buy this building and go ahead with the consecration of the church. The conditions were extremely unfavorable, but a chain of miracles took place: the price of $10,000 was reduced to $5,000, the parishioners managed to donate almost half of the amount, the real estate agent Ms. Sylvia Cazan waived the commission, and the law firm reduced the cost to a derisory amount. An American contractor from the area made the repairs for free, icons from various churches were received as donations. And so the dream of this small group of parishioners materialized on September 13, 1970, when Bishop Valerian, together with a council of 8 priests, consecrated the current premises of the "Holy Cross" church.

In 1973, Priest Anchidim Useriu took over the religious service regularly and for 3 years did not request any salary. Ilie Hasegan from Cleveland painted and completed the current iconostasis, helped by Priestess Eugenia Useriu.

In the following years, after the passing of Father Useriu, several priests served at the church altar, and starting in 1986, Father Gheorghe Calciu took over the religious services for almost 20 years. During this period, the church's attendance by Romanian Christians increased substantially, exceeding the number of 100 paying members.

In 2009, some of the parishioners founded a new mission, which became the current “St. Apostle Andrei” church in Potomac, Md.

During the period 2007-2014, the religious services were provided by Father Claudiu Lutai, and during the period 2014-2021 by Father Aurel Petrescu.

Currently, the church is pastored by Father Ion Traian Stefan, who is very involved in the religious education of the parishioners: sermons with rich religious and historical content, the enrichment of the church with countless icons, as well as the first trip with a group of parishioners of the church to the Holy Places. The father is also very active in improving the construction of the church, coordinating the reconstruction of the social hall, as well as the bringing and installation of a troita from Romania.

With the help of God and the goodwill of the faithful, Holy Cross Parish has reached its 60th year of existence. The church is a blessing from God for all of us in the Washington, DC area and a living proof of the worthiness and culture of the Romanians. We thank all those who have served, worked, dedicated their time, and supported the church materially and financially.