May 1:   Ben & Kara Kiracofe Birthday

May 8:   National Day of Prayer

May 9:   Mother's Day!

May 23: Bobby Sue McTaggart Birthday

May 26: Kara Kiracofe Birthday

May 31: Memorial Day

In 326, Saint Helen, the Emperor's mother, made a journey into Palestine with the purpose of finding the very cross on which Christ had suffered for our sins so that a churvch could be built on the site of Calvary. She consulted many people in Jerusalem, but there was no mark or tradition to show where might lie. Saint Helen did discover, however, that a Jewish custom was to dig a pit near the place where the body of a criminal was buried, and to throw into it whatever had contributed to his execution.

This information led her to a site where the Roman pagans had piled a great quantity of stone and rubbish and had built a temple to Venus and a statue of Jupiter. Saint Helen had all this removed and after digging to a great depth, the holy sepulchre was uncovered.

Near it were found three crosses and the nails which had pierced Our Savior's body, with the title which had been fixed to His cross. But because the title was found separate from the cross, it was difficult to distinguis which of the three crosses was the one on which our Redeemer consummated His sacrifice for the salavation of the world. In this perplexity the holy Bishop of Jerusalem Macarius, knowing that one of the principal ladies of the city lay ill and at the point of death, suggested to the Empress to have the three crosses carried to the sick person, not doubting that God would reveal which one was the cross they sought. Saint Macarius prayed that God would have regard to their faith, and then he applied the crosses, one after another, to the patient. She was immediately and perfectly cured by the touch of the True Cross, after the others had been tried without effect.

Saint Helen, full of joy at having found the treasure which she had so earnestly sought and so highly esteemed, built a church on the site and placed the cross there with great veneration, after providing for it an extraordinarily rich silver reliquary. She afterwards carried part of it to her son Constantine at Constantinople, who received it with great veneration; and another part she took to Rome, to be placed in the church which she built there, called Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, where it remains to this day.

Born in Rostkovo, Poland in late October, 1550, he lived less than 18 years, but is to have experienced revelations of contacts with the Mother of Christ. He is one of the popular saints of Poland, with numerous churches named after him.

Once again, the number "40" occurs, as Ascension Day is 40 days after Easter, preceded by "40" days in Lent, which correlates to Christ fasting for "40" days. In the life of the church, this is the day that Jesus left the physical earth and ascended to heaven in the presence of his apostles. His life has now come full circle; the birth, the crucifixion, the empty tomb, and now His leaving until we see Him on the last day. It is traditionally thought to have occurred on Mount Olivet in Bethany.

As in the case of the other apostles, we see in Philip and James human men who became foundation stones of the Church, and we are reminded again that holiness and it consequent apostolate are entirely the gift of God, not a matter of human achieving. All power is God's power, even the power to human freedom to accept his gifts. They learned gradually, that these externals were sacraments of an even greater miracle inside their persons - the divine power to love like God.

This day commemorates the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles 50 days after the Resurrection. Whitsunday is believed to have come from "white Sunday", when, among the English, white robes were worn by those baptized on the day.

For Christians, Pentecost Sunday is a day to celebrate hope, a hope evoked by the knowledge that God through His Holy Spirit is at work among His people. It is a celebration of God's ongoing work in the world. Yet, it is also a recognition that His work is done through His people as He pours out His presence upon them. Pentecost is often regarded as the birthday of the Christian church, and the start of the church's mission to the world.

The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God, and a dove.

Trinity Sunday, officially "The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity," is one of the few feasts of the Christian Year that celebrates a reality and doctrine rather than an event or person. On Trinity Sunday we remember and honor the eternal God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Trinity Sunday is celebrated the Sunday after Pentecost, and lasts only one day, which is symbolic of the unity of the Trinity

Memorial Day became a federal holiday in 1971. It originated in 1868, when Union General John A. Logan designated a day in which the graves of Civil War soldiers would be decorated. Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday was changed to Memorial Day within 20 years becoming a holiday dedicated to the memory of all war dead.