Today, the new participants arrived at the beautiful Hellenic College Holy Cross campus in Boston, all ready to take “the challenge!” They came from near and far and jumped right into the program which began with Vespers at the Holy Cross chapel. 

The new CrossRoad participants spent their first evening getting to know each other through various interactive icebreakers. The evening concluded with a session that introduced them to the topics and questions we’ll be exploring during CrossRoad. 

The staff members are very excited to get to know each participant throughout their time here as they learn and grow over the next 10 days!

After Orthros and breakfast, the participants had the opportunity to write thank you notes to the many supporters of CrossRoad who helped make this summer possible.

Afterwards, we headed to Singing Beach in Manchester-By-The-Sea, MA. The CrossRoaders enjoyed lunch, ultimate frisbee, swimming, and, of course, some singing on the sand. On the way back to campus, the staff surprised the participants with ice cream at Captain Dusty’s Ice Cream! 

When we returned, the participants were then given an opportunity to reflect on all they learned in their final stage of CrossRoad. It was truly inspiring to hear how their definition and view of their ‘neighbor’ had changed over the course of a few days. After their reflections, the staff provided various Orthodox organizations and resources that the participants can take advantage of after they leave CrossRoad. 

To finish off their last night together, we hosted an Open Mic Night. 

Every talent was absolutely incredible! The room was filled with love, laughter and happy tears. 

The night was truly bitter sweet. The participants and the staff became a family in just 10 days, but it is not time to say “goodbye”.

Early yesterday morning, the participants went to Cambridge to break bread with the homeless. In small groups, the CrossRoaders approached people on the streets, offered them breakfast, and joined in conversation to learn about their lives. It was an extremely enlightening experience for all. It is profound to acknowledge Christ in the face of our neighbor, especially those that we often overlook.

In the afternoon, the participants engaged in the staff-led session, “Sanctification of Time”. After this contemplative session, we had the blessing of listening to our beloved Dr. Albert Rossi, a CR guest speaker since the beginning of CrossRoad in 2004, talk about Prayer & Purity.

The participants have been busy learning how to act upon the lessons they learned in the classroom!

After Orthros, the CrossRoaders participated in their third Scripture and Church History courses. They are really engaging these courses and proposing thought-provoking questions! Following the lectures, we departed for historic Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market where they ate lunch and explored local shops and stores.

In the evening, we attended Holy Epiphany Russian Orthodox Church in Roslindale, MA where the participants got to enjoy some beautiful Russian chanting!

On Tuesday morning, the participants had their first day of scripture and church history classes with Dr. Legaspi (Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Jewish Studies at Pennsylvania State University) and Dr. Ganson (Assistant Professor of History at Hellenic College and Director of the New York Life Insurance Company Center for the Study of Hellenism in Pontus and Asia Minor). Following each lecture, they broke out into small staff-lead discussion groups.

In the afternoon, we ventured to the Boston Common, the oldest park in the country, for lunch and some outdoor fun! Our next stop was the Boston Public Library followed by Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral where we had vespers.

The evening concluded with a staff-led session: “Pop Culture & Technology”

The day was full of fun, fellowship, and faith!