Greetings from Boston!
It’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the end of CrossRoad Boston 1. Over the past few days, our participants completed Stage 2, Who Is God?, and have now entered the final stage of the program: Who Is My Neighbor?
Throughout the week, CrossRoaders have continued exploring big questions through their theology courses and a variety of staff-led sessions, including Faith and Science, Sanctification of Time & Money, and Suffering and Vocation. They’ve asked thoughtful questions, engaged in honest conversations, and challenged one another to think more deeply about their faith and the world around them.
As part of Stage 3, participants are being challenged to look beyond themselves and encounter Christ in the people around them. Early this morning, the group traveled to Cambridge and Harvard Square for an experience centered on meeting their neighbors. In small groups, participants shared conversations with people from all walks of life, including those experiencing homelessness. They listened to stories, shared meals, and spent time simply being present with others. For many, it was a powerful reminder that every person bears the image of God and has a story worth hearing.
The past few days have also included visits to Romanian and Greek Orthodox parishes, alongside our daily prayers and services at Holy Cross. Through worship, conversations, classes, shared meals, and even a few long bus rides through Boston traffic, the participants have grown remarkably close. Watching this community form has been one of the greatest joys of the program.
As we prepare for our final days together, we’re already beginning to feel the bittersweet reality that this experience is coming to an end. This group has impressed us with their curiosity, wisdom, kindness, and willingness to embrace the challenge of CrossRoad. We have grown to love them dearly, and it has been a privilege to accompany them on this journey.
While we’ll be sad to say goodbye, we’re excited to send them home to you with new friendships, new questions, deeper faith, and plenty of stories to tell—along with, most likely, a healthy amount of exhaustion!
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We can’t wait to celebrate these students and all they’ve accomplished during our final days together. In our farewell post, we’ll also share a parent survey. Your feedback, along with your participant’s, is invaluable as we continue working to make CrossRoad as meaningful and impactful as possible for future students.
And one more thing! Our CRI Executive Director, Dr. Ann Bezzerides, had her own eldest son participate in CrossRoad Summer Institute a few years ago, and she realized it could be helpful for parents to have some idea of:
- what to expect when your CrossRoader returns home, and
- how you can help your son or daughter process the CrossRoad experience, fueling their development of a lifelong Orthodox faith.
So we’d love for you to watch the “Welcoming Them Home” recording just for parents of CrossRoaders with Dr. Ann and George Papageorge, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Director of the Family Wellness Ministry of the Metropolis of San Francisco. We would love to hear if you find this session helpful. You can click the link in this post or watch the video on this session’s landing page above.
And don’t forget to check out all of the session photos on Flickr!