the ordinary form is now left to the decision of episcopal conferences in view of local conditions and customs. The ember days are still observed in the calendar of the Roman Rite's Extraordinary Form, the Anglican Ordinariate, and Western Orthodoxy. Liturgical Colours Red is the usual liturgical color in churches that follow such traditions. In Western Christianity, red vestments are worn at church services conducted on this day. In the liturgy of the Roman Catholic church the readings in the Holy Mass for this day draw a comparison between the bronze serpent of Numbers 21, which was raised up on a pole so that all who looked upon it would be cured of the deadly poison of venomous snakes, and John 3: 14–15, "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." If the feast falls on a Sunday, its Mass readings are used instead of those for the occurring Sunday in Ordinary Time. The lectionaries of the Church of England (and other Anglican churches) and Western Rite Orthodoxy also stipulate red as the liturgical color for 'Holy Cross Day.' In Eastern Orthodox Churches that use various liturgical colors, red vestments are also worn. Yet in these Orthodox churches, the wearing of red continues for a week after the feast. Religious Orders The Carmelite Rule of St. Albert of 1247 gives this date as the beginning of the period of fasting, which ends on Easter Sunday. This date is the titular feast of the Congregation of Holy Cross, The Companions of the Cross and the Episcopal Church's Order of the Holy Cross. Observation in Various Churches Church of England The Common Worship calendar (2000), like the General Roman Calendar celebrates the Feast on 14 September. Church of the East The Church of the East celebrates the finding of the Cross on 13 September, and considers it to be a major feast. The Assyrian Church considers the Sign of the Cross to be the sacrament by which all of the other sacraments are sealed and perfected. (The Church's traditional list of sacraments does not include marriage.) Saranaya (Syriac) hold a shara every year in cities like Chicago, Illinois, and Modesto, California, and other parts of the world. The shara in Modesto is held every Sunday prior to 13 September