St. Monica’s - Sanctuary This is the Sanctuary in a simple parish church. You can see the pulpit from where the readings, the Gospel, and the homily are given. A homily is a reflection on the sacred scriptures given by a priest, deacon, or other specially designated person.

The altar represents both a table and a tomb. As a table, it reminds the people of the last supper when Jesus celebrated his last Passover meal with his disciples. It was at that meal that Jesus took bread and said, “Take this all of you and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you”. Then he took a cup of wine and said, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me”. When the priest says these words during the celebration of the Mass, Catholic Christians believe that the bread actually becomes the body of Christ, and the wine becomes his blood, although they maintain the appearance of bread and wine. Protestants see this action as a memorial of Jesus’ action. Catholics call it an “anamnesis” which means that the remembering makes it real in the now. On the back wall you can see a crucifix. This is a cross with the body of Jesus on it – to remind the people what Jesus did. Other Christians usually leave the cross bare in the theology that Jesus resurrected (rose again three days after dying on the cross). Thus the altar also represents the tomb of Christ’s burial. As with many faith traditions, you can see candles and flowers.

St. Patrick’s Basilica - Sanctuary This sanctuary is very ornate (decorated). There are many statues of the saints on the wall, and around the church in cornices. St. Patrick is pictured in one stained glass window and Jesus in the other. Please note that Catholics do not pray to statues; rather the statue helps them to focus. They talk with, or pray to the person represented by the statue. To Catholics this is possible because they believe in “the communion of saints”. This concept means that all humans live in a communion of the living and the dead.

St. Luke’s Parish -Sanctuary In the foreground you can see the altar rail, and to the far left, the tabernacle in which is kept the extra hosts that have already been consecrated at the mass. These are kept to be brought to the sick of the parish as needed. Moving to the right you can see two seats, one for the deacon who assists at the mass, and the presider’s chair, for the priest who presides at the celebration of the mass. The sanctuary lamp is the clear round globe behind the seats. The altar is pictured in the far right.

Cross with Corpus In contrast to most Protestant Christian churches, in most Catholic churches the cross will have the body of Christ, crucified, on it. This is to remind the congregation what Jesus did out of love for them. Protestants prefer the cross empty to emphasize that although Jesus died, he resurrected.

Altar, Candles, flowers, and Banner St. Luke’s Parish In this picture, the altar, which is covered with a linen cloth, has candles and flowers on it. The two lit candles represent God’s light in the old and new testaments. Hanging on the wall above and behind the altar is a banner, actually, a three dimensional quilt which was prepared to celebrate the Jubilee of The main message is: “God so loved the world that God gave his only son”.

Side Altar with Tabernacle and Baptismal Font Notice the tabernacle in the middle of the altar, and the Baptismal Font in front of it. Most Catholic Churches have at least two side altars up in the front of the church. The tradition to have more than one altar arose during a time when there were many priests all of whom desired to celebrate the Eucharist (the Mass). In the Catholic tradition, a baby, child, or adult who is to receive the sacrament of Baptism is held over the font and the water is sprinkled over their forehead as the words of baptism are said, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. In some Christian traditions, for example, the Evangelical, Pentecostal, Greek or Russian Orthodox, the person being baptized experiences full emersion. That is, his or her whole body is lowered into the font.

St. Patrick’s Basilica The Holy Scriptures In most Christian Churches the book of the Holy Scriptures (the Bible) has a special place of honour. Christians believe that the Scriptures were inspired by God. The Christian Scriptures are composed of the Hebrew Scriptures, often called the old testament, and the Christian Scriptures, often called the new testament. The Hebrew Scriptures include the Torah, the Historical books, the Wisdom books, and the books of the Prophets. The Christian Scriptures include the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters, and the book of Revelation.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral Sanctuary Lamp This is an ornate example of a sanctuary lamp. Every Catholic and many Anglican Churches have a sanctuary lamp, usually hanging to the right of the altar. The lamp is lit whenever some of the consecrated host, the Body of Christ, is stored in the tabernacle. The light says that Jesus, the Light of the world, is here. As it is with many Christian traditions, this one comes from the Jewish tradition of an oil lamp always being lit in the holy of holies, the central room of the Temple in Jerusalem. The lit oil says, “God is with us”. Hanukah is the Jewish feast that celebrates the miracle of one day’s worth of this oil lasting for eight days.

The Choir Stall The choir stall is where the choir sits as they sing during the Liturgy – the celebration. This choir stall is on one side of the church situated beside the front pews. In old churches, the choir often sang from the choir loft or balcony at the back of the church. In Anglican and some Protestant churches, the choir sits in stalls along the side of the altar. An old adage says that “If you sing, you pray twice”.

Stations of the Cross The Fourteen Stations of the Cross which line the side walls of every Catholic and some Anglican churches tell, in paintings or bas relief, the story of Jesus’ passion and death. During a quiet time people can walk around the church, stopping to meditate at each station. This is Station # nine: “Jesus falls for the Third Time”.

Large Votive Candles Most Catholic churches and some Anglican churches have small or large votive candles. It is a tradition that once a candle is lit, and prayers are said, the prayers continue to be offered to God as long as the light shines, even after the person has gone home. The person leaves an offering to help pay for the candle.

Water and Bowl with Towel A young alter server, a boy or girl, holds the bowl and pours the water over the hands of the priest following the Offertory in the Mass. The priest says, “Wash me of my iniquity, heal me of my sin”, then he wipes his hands and continues with the Mass. Originally, the priest washed his hands because they were dirty from receiving the offerings of food. Today the offering is money collected by the ushers and brought to the priest to support the work of the parish. The action was spiritualized during the middle ages, becoming a prayer by the priest to be healed of his own sin before he asked the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Chalice and Paten The chalice is used at a celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) to hold the wine which Catholics believe will be transformed into the Blood of Christ. As above, the paten is used to hold the host which Catholics believe will be transformed into the Body of Christ. Both the paten and the chalice are lined in gold because of the important guest that they hold – Jesus, the Christ. Note: Eucharist in Greek means “Thanksgiving”. and Christ in Greek means “The Anointed One”.

The Monstrance The Monstrance is used at a ceremony called Benediction, and at the end of the evening on Holy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter). A consecrated host (Body of Christ) is placed in the center of the monstrance for the purpose of the reverent adoration of God. During Benediction, a celebration of prayers and song, the monstrance is elevated by the priest and then placed on the central altar. On Holy Thursday the priest puts a “shawl” over his head, shoulders and hands. He holds the monstrance with this shawl and processes from the main altar to a side altar, called the altar of repose, where it remains for that night.

Holy Water Font Just inside the doors of a Catholic church you will find a small bowl attached to the wall containing holy water (water that has been blessed). People put the tip of their fingers into the water and then make the Sign of the Cross with it. The holy water font in this picture is unusual for its size and its decorative features, but the purpose is the same.

Christmas C rèche In the foreground you can see a representation of the crèche or stable in which Jesus was born. Present with him at that time were his parents, Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds who came to visit and adore him The animals mentioned were a cow, a donkey and the sheep that came along with the shepherds. Jesus was placed in a manger – the “manger” or eating trough used by the animals. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a word which means “house of bread”. The crèche has been placed directly in front of the lectern from which the Gospel and other scriptures are read. In the back, you can see both a wreath and a Christmas tree covered in lights. On the right are an advent wreath and a Pascal candle. Each Easter a new Pascal Candle is lit. It is used at Baptisms and at other special occasions.

Chasuble and Stole This chasuble and stole are worn by a priest at the celebration of the Eucharist (Mass). The stole is similar to the long scarf worn by Roman magistrates when engaged in official business. Thus a priest wears his stole when he is engaged in official priestly business. The chasuble is the outer garment worn by the priest, symbolizing both the virtue of charity and the yoke of sinless service for the Lord. The colours of the chasuble and stole change according to the occasion and throughout the liturgical year. White: Worn at Christmas, Easter, Baptisms and Weddings Green: Worn during ordinary time Red: Worn at Pentecost Gold: Worn sometimes instead of white Purple: Worn during Lent

The Chasuble Father Raymond Lafontaine is wearing a purple chasuble over a white alb. The colour of the chasuble changes with the season, the time of the liturgical year. Purple is the colour worn during Lent – the 40 days of reflection, renunciation, and purification leading up to Easter. At Christmas, Easter, and special celebrations the priest may wear white or gold. At Pentecost, the colour worn is red, and in ordinary time, the priest wears a green chasuble.