Chapel Ambassadors and prayer team welcome visitors
They come from all over the world — Denmark, Australia, India, France, the Philippines and beyond — to gaze upon one of the hidden jewels of the Diocese of Phoenix.
Nestled among the majestic red rocks of Sedona in Northern Arizona, the Chapel of the Holy Cross draws some 2 million visitors a year. The tiny church seats 65, but the majestic views from the floor-to-ceiling windows behind the altar reveal a stunning view of the picturesque valley below.
Then there’s the enormous crucifix with a life-like Jesus who gazes into your eyes tenderly when you stand just so beneath it.
Sunny Perotti, chapel coordinator, said that during the busiest seasons – fall and spring — the chapel might have 15,000 visitors a weekend.
“Some people think it’s carved out of the rock. It’s not. It’s just built on top of the rock. But it’s the way it works with nature,” Perotti said.
“They’re looking for some truth and some beauty and they find it here. And you can see their hearts are moved.”
Many visitors hike the steep path to get to the chapel while others are ferried up in golf carts waiting at the bottom of the summit. Built in a vertical cruciform, the earth-toned chapel contains relics of the 12 Apostles. A gift shop in the basement features local artisans’ rosaries, Nativity scenes, greeting cards and more.
Linda McQuaid moved to Sedona two years ago and is a chapel ambassador. On a windy, hot day in June, she stood outside greeting visitors. Clad in her “Jesus uniform,” a powder-blue polo shirt emblazoned with the chapel insignia, she handed out brochures and water bottles.
“It’s very different for me because I’m an introvert, but I put this on and I’m like a spokesman for God,” McQuaid said. Her role is to welcome people and invite them into the chapel. She’s met scores of people, many of them not Catholic, and she encourages them to step inside.
“When somebody says, ‘tell me about this vortex thing,’ that’s when I get to talk about the Holy Spirit and how He’s everywhere and how God created all this.”
Sedona has long been known for its New Age vibe and several travel websites list Chapel of the Holy Cross as one of the area’s “most powerful vortexes” or energy centers. They’re not far off the mark when it comes to the chapel. There’s a divine Presence at the site that beckons.
It’s a healing that takes place through the sacraments, sacred beauty and a prayer team just outside the doorway.
Visitors with health problems, marriage troubles, financial burdens and emotional wounds approach the team to ask for prayer. Fr. Ignatius Mazanowski, pastor of St. John Vianney Parish and Chapel of the Holy Cross, formed the group about a year ago.
On the first and third Fridays of the month (except during July) the prayer team is on hand to pray with people. Mass, confession, adoration, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and music by well-known Catholic musicians Tim and Julie Smith make for a holy encounter.
“In most evangelism settings, Catholics go out to non-Catholics,” Fr. Mazanowski said. “At the Chapel of the Holy Cross, people of all faiths, nationalities, and walks of life come to us, and often, they come desiring healing and encouragement from God.”
The prayer team began with four members and added one more. “I’m training 11 more new people for prayer ministry,” Fr. Mazanowski said.
“It’s a blessing to see them learn, grow, and reach more people with God’s healing love.”
Pat Drechsler and her husband Rob are members of the prayer team. Last year, Rob saw a young woman sitting in the chapel weeping. He approached and asked if she’d like the team to pray for her.
“She and her husband came out,” Pat said. “We sat here and we prayed and it turned out that they had lost a baby through miscarriage. They were trying to get pregnant again, but they were scared.”
“We prayed for healing the woundedness of losing their first baby and we prayed against the spirit of fear,” Pat said. The couple was Catholic and stayed for the healing Mass afterward which they hadn’t planned to do.
“Rob just said, ‘you send us a picture of this baby when it’s born.’ We got a picture about a month ago of the baby and he’s just the most joyous baby I have ever seen. On the one-year anniversary of their (first) baby’s death, they found out they were pregnant,” Pat said.
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Carolyn Lovino and her son Frank drove all the way from New York state to visit Chapel of the Holy Cross.
“My mom always wanted to come to Sedona. It was her lifelong dream and she passed away a few years ago and never got to come,” Carolyn said, noting she’s had a tough time dealing with her grief. Health problems and family issues compounded the pain.
“We just took this trip on the spur of the moment, and thought, we’ll look into the vortex areas. I kept saying I wanted to do some sort of a healing — anything. I was looking for reiki or any type of healing just for the pain and the grief.”
Carolyn and Frank sat with the prayer team outside the chapel. The Drechslers called on the Holy Spirit.
“It was incredible because they said some really poignant things. When I first went there, I said, well, ‘I don’t feel like my issues are significant enough.’ I saw the little girl coming in in the wheelchair, and I said, ‘what am I crying about? What I have is nothing.’ I didn’t want to waste their time.
“As soon as I sat down, they said, ‘It’s not about the time. You’re a daughter of God and you’re just as important.’”
The team prayed for Carolyn, Frank, and the whole family.
“It was powerful, very powerful,” Carolyn said.
The chapel website features testimonials from those who say their prayers were answered after visiting. From finally receiving a kidney transplant to surviving advanced cancer to the blessing of pregnancy, thankful visitors share their stories and photos.
Rae-Mi LeRoy, director of digital media Evangelization at nearby St. John Vianney Parish, said the beauty of the chapel and its surroundings is the initial draw for most. According to Architectural Digest, Chapel of the Holy Cross is one of the 10 most beautiful churches in the world.
“Sometimes people don’t even know what it is. They just feel it. They see the beauty and they feel something special,” LeRoy said.
McQuaid, the chapel ambassador, said everyone is welcome to visit, no matter their belief.
“Fr. Ignatius wrote a poem that says, ‘Jews and Muslims and atheists and agnostics and everybody — you are all welcome.’ It’s just a very welcoming place for everybody, but occasionally somebody will say, ‘I’m not sure I belong in there.’ And I’m like, ‘Of course you do.”
“People come with that inner sense — they already know something special is happening here, so I see it as an opportunity for us to tell them what it is and Who it is,” LeRoy said.
“We point them to the Blessed Sacrament on the altar. Jesus is present in a special way here.”
For Mass, Confession, Adoration times and other information, visit chapeloftheholycross.com.
