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August 30, 2009 Holy Cross Parish will honour parishioners who have made significant contributions to parish life over the course of the parish’s 50 year history. “We want to recognize people in our parish who have made outstanding contributions to the parish in different ways that they’ve served Holy Cross Church,” said Karen Eisler, Chair of the 50th anniversary committee. Parishioners are being asked to nominate potential recipients by filling out a nomination form and sending them to the anniversary committee at Holy Cross Parish. Recipients will be recognized at masses throughout the year-long celebration and will receive a certificate acknowledging their contribution. The committee also came up with colourful fridge magnets with a photo of the church, name, phone number and recognition of its 50th anniversary. Merv Schuster is an original and continuing member of the Parish. He remembers masses in the basement of St. Andrew School and the initial work of fund raising for the new church. “We were all young, with families and money was short, but there were enough energetic people here and we did it.” His daughter was one the first to be baptized in the new church. “Our daughter has helped and now we have grandchildren as altar servers.” Holy Cross was established December 15, 1959 with the first masses held in St. Andrew Elementary School gymnasium. The school and church share the property. The present church was built in 1961 and blessed in November of that year. It started with about 300 families and grew to more than 1200 but some families moved to the new Resurrection Parish when it was established in a new neighbourhood in 2000. Holy Cross still boasts about 750 families and Pastor Thomas Nguyen points out that some families who originally moved have returned. “It’s a very active parish,” he said, with many activities and a large number of parishioners involved not just a few as is the case in some parishes. Three masses are held each weekend throughout the year and continued through the summer. “We don’t cut back the masses in summer,” said Nguyen, “and the church is full for each mass.” A special mass followed by a picnic August 30, kicked off the year-long anniversary celebrations. The day was sunny and warm and the line-ups for hot dogs, hamburgers, watermelon, cake and ice cream were long and patient. Children lined up to take their turn in an enclosed dino-jumper. September 13 is the parish’s feast day and a special breakfast is planned for that day after Sunday mass. Frank Flegel 
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