Sunday, May 21, 2051
Liturgical Color: White/Gold
Pentecost
Almighty God, on this day, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation: Pour out this gift anew, that by the preaching of the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Pentecost
Through Jesus Christ our Lord; according to whose most true promise, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, lighting upon the disciples, to teach them and to lead them into all truth, giving them boldness and fervent zeal constantly to preach the Gospel to all nations; by which we have been brought out of darkness and error into the clear light and true knowledge of you, and of your Son Jesus Christ.
Most liturgical texts are from the Book of Common Prayer (2019) of the Anglican Church in North America.
The New Coverdale Psalter, © 2019 by the Anglican Church in North America. Used by permission.
Mother of Constantine and Protector of the Holy Places
Ecumenical Commemoration
Helena was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great and, according to tradition, the discoverer of the True Cross in Jerusalem. A woman of humble origins elevated by her son's rise to imperial power, she undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land around 326-328. She founded churches at Bethlehem and on the Mount of Olives and reportedly identified the site of Christ's crucifixion. Whether she actually discovered the Cross is debated — Eusebius, the near-contemporary source, does not mention it — but her pilgrimage and church-building are historically attested, and her patronage of the Holy Places shaped Christian devotion for centuries.
Helena was born around 250 in Drepanum in Bithynia (later renamed Helenopolis in her honor). Her social origins were modest — Ambrose calls her a stabularia, possibly 'innkeeper' — and she became the consort (possibly wife, possibly concubine — sources are ambiguous) of Constantius Chlorus, by whom she bore Constantine around 272.
When Constantius was elevated to Caesar in 293, he was required to set Helena aside in favor of a more politically advantageous match. Helena apparently lived in obscurity until her son gained power. After Constantine's victory at the Milvian Bridge (312) and his support for Christianity, Helena was elevated to the rank of Augusta — empress — and became a prominent figure at court.
She converted to Christianity (timing unclear) and was known for piety and charitable work. Around 326-328, in her late seventies, she undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Eusebius of Caesarea, writing within a few years, records that she founded the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Eleona (Ascension) on the Mount of Olives, and distributed alms generously to the poor, freed prisoners, and recalled exiles.
Helena died around 330 in her son's presence. Her body was brought to Rome, where her sarcophagus — an enormous red porphyry monument — survives in the Vatican Museums.
Traditionally, Helena discovered the True Cross during her Jerusalem pilgrimage. According to accounts that developed from the late fourth century onward (first clearly in Ambrose and Rufinus), Helena directed excavations at Calvary and uncovered three crosses. The True Cross was identified when a sick woman (or, in some versions, a corpse) was healed upon touching it. However, Eusebius, who is nearest to the events, does not mention the Cross discovery at all — a significant silence.