The 1990s
The nineties were a time of renewal in the parish, with more opportunities for service and activity, greater emphasis on adult education and formation, and an increased focus on life together as a community of faith and worship. Sacramental programs were developed that include the whole family in sacramental preparation. With the establishment of the RCIA process, the parish has welcomed many new people into the Catholic community.
Pastoral Staff
On July 1, 1989, Father John P. McNulty became the fourth pastor of Holy Cross Parish. Father McNulty was born on June 13, 1946, one of 9 children of Joseph and Brigid McNulty. He earned an undergraduate degree in history from Borromeo Seminary. He also has Master's degrees in Divinity from St Mary's Seminary and Religious Studies from John Carroll. He was ordained by Bishop Clarence Issenman on June 9, 1973. Before coming to Holy Cross, Father McNulty served as Associate Pastor at St. Martha Church in Akron, taught religion and was later chaplain at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Associate Pastor at St. Louis Church in Cleveland Heights, St. Richard Church in North Olmsted and St. Ann Church in Cleveland Heights.
Our first pastoral associate, Sr. Kathleen Flannery, OSU, arrived in July of 1990. Sr. Kathleen grew up in the parish, the oldest of 10 children of Frank and Mary Flannery. Before joining the staff here, she taught first and second grade at St. Clare and St. Mary Magdalene schools and served as a pastoral associate at St. Noel Parish. She has also worked in the Diocesan Office for Pastoral Liturgy as Co-coordinator of the Catechumenate.
In 1998(?) Associate Pastor Father Dan Schlegel was transfered to St. Christopher's in Rocky River and we welcomed Father William Bouhall. Father Bouhall . . .
The school
Under the direction of its first lay principal, Mrs. Sharon Stupica, the school added a kindergarten, after-school program, and hot lunch program. The building was refurbished by the construction of the Esther Rossman Learning Research Center, a fully equipped computer lab and expanded library that opened in 1993. The hallways and classrooms were completely repainted by a hard-working group of parents. Enrollment has increased as more young families move into the parish.
Parish council
In 1992, the Parish Pastoral Council was reorganized to conform to the new diocesan guidelines and a Finance Council was formed. Parish Council began hosting yearly town hall meetings to give parishioners a chance to make suggestions to the staff and council members, and to ask questions about what is happening in the parish.
A liturgy commission was formed to help plan and coordinate special liturgical celebrations. They provide bulletin information that describes the particular day or liturgical season, and work with the St. Vincent de Paul Society to sponsor the Advent giving tree.
In 1992 parish council formed a five-year planning committee to look at all aspects of parish life, including the physical plant, education, demographics, and spiritual and social needs. The committee would identify areas in need of attention and make recommendations about what could be done.
One problem that was immediately addressed was the lack of handicapped accessibility of the church and hall. In 1993 an elevator was installed beside the baptistry.
Further work by the committee and input from parishioners at a town hall meeting revealed many other areas of concern regarding the building: some of the steps and landings were crumbling, the church was not air-conditioned, the heating system was inadequate, the stained glass windows needed to be re-leaded to reduce heat loss, and the electrical and lighting systems were out of date. In addition, the parish had no space for activities, and the layout of the church did not lend itself to liturgical celebrations according to the documents of the Second Vatican Council.
Renovation
It was clear that, after forty years, the building was in need of much more than simple repairs so the parish embarked on the most ambitious project of the nineties- a complete renovation of the worship space and construction of a new gym. Committees were formed in 1994 to study the documents on liturgy to make recommendations for the renovation of the church building, and to work on a site plan for the gym. In the meantime, a major effort was made to inform parishioners about the reasons for the proposed changes to the church. The bulletin featured a series of articles, Holy Gifts for Holy People, that discussed the importance of both the worship space and the assembly in celebrating the liturgy; topics included the gathering area, baptismal font, space for musicians, communion rail and placement of the altar, and the assembly as the primary symbol of worship. An adult education series, Reflections on the Eucharist, focused on the ways Mass is celebrated in other area parishes through videos and field trips to observe their liturgies.
The next two years were filled with preparations, fundraising, and many, many discussions with parishioners. The last Mass in the "old" church on June 29, 1997, ended with a procession downstairs into the hall, where Masses would be celebrated during the renovation. The church was kept open all afternoon to give parishioners a chance to linger for a last look and to say goodbye to the old worship space.
In less than six months, the rectory was razed and a new gym constructed between the church and school, and the inside of the church was completely remodeled and updated. In addition to upgrades of the heating and electrical systems, the floor was replaced, the walls repaired, and the ceiling cleaned and lightened. The choir loft was rebuilt to accommodate a baptismal font just inside the main entrance, and a Blessed Sacrament chapel was constructed. The pews were replaced with chairs which can be moved to accommodate different kinds of liturgical celebrations. The new altar was placed closer to the center of the church, with seating on three sides to give the sense that we truly are gathered around the table of the Lord. The work was finished in time for Christmas Masses to be celebrated upstairs.
A diamond anniversary
As the '90s drew to a close, the parish celebrated its 75th anniversary. The yearlong celebration began in September 1998 with the annual ice cream social commemorating the parish feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Some other highlights included:
- a golf outing at Briardale Greens
- a lecture on the history of the parish by Fr. Tom Tifft, Academic Dean at St. Mary's Seminary
- performances by the Singing Angels and Euclid Civic Orchestra, which benefitted the Euclid Hunger Center
- a presentation by Sr. Christine De Vinne, OSU, of Ursuline College on the story depicted in in the stained-glass windows
- a special anniversary Mass was celebrated for all parishioners as a way to pray in support of one another in all of the commitments we make in the name of Christ
- a reunion for all Holy Cross School alumni
- a dinner-dance at the East Side Irish-American club
- a 5K run
Bishop Anthony Pilla consecrated the new altar and rededicated the church at a special Mass on the anniversary of the founding, September 19, 1999.
