Welcome to Saint Ambrose

In many Eastern European families, it is a tradition to have a basket of food blessed on Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday. In Poland, for example, the blessing of the baskets is known as święcenie pokarmów wielkanocnych, a practice dating to the 15th century or earlier.

The Church's liturgical norms prescribe specific vestment colors for various celebrations. Colors highlight the particular liturgical season, feast, or the faithful's journey through these seasons.

The Trinity knot is also called the Triquetra (from the Latin for three corners) and is one of the best known symbols in Celtic culture. In the Christian faith, the three points of the Trinity knot represent the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This symbol was also chosen for our church building because it reminds us that we are many parts in one body. Just as the living stones that make up the Church of Jesus Christ, we are made one through the Death and Resurrection of Christ. Together we are the body of God.

Catholics do not worship idols, but have a long tradition of using statues in our churches. Thousands of years ago, people were not able to read, and stained glass windows could help visually tell the stories in the bible and show what people looked like.

Catholics honor Mary and the saints to preserve their memory. Catholics often decorate statues of Mary with flowers in her honor. Just as we leave flowers at someone's grave, we do not think the deceased is there, because they are alive in Heaven.

Remember the saying, "Out of sight, out of mind." As Catholics, we want to make sure that our faith can NEVER be out of sight or out of mind, but be forever enduring in our hearts, and in our every day lives.

The rite of holy water and its fonts evokes, primarily, three things. First, the blessed water reminds Christians of their Baptism. By sprinkling ourselves with holy water, we remember that we are "temples of the Holy Spirit" (I Corinthians 6:19).

Second, holy water is what the Church calls a "sacramental." These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments.

Third, locating the holy water fonts at the entrance to our churches symbolizes the difference between ordinary space and sacred space. The transition from normal business into the special activity of divine worship.

The tabernacle is a liturgical furnishing used to house the Eucharist outside of Mass. This provides a location where the Eucharist can be kept for the adoration of the faithful as well as for later use. The word tabernacle means "dwelling place."

The use of a tabernacle in Catholic churches rests solely on the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Without the Eucharist, the tabernacle is simply an empty gold box.

The word "candle" comes from the Latin verb candeo, meaning "to shine, glow, or burn." Candles have always been used in the liturgy as a symbol of joy and the Light of Christ.

Candles in the Catholic Church are traditionally made of beeswax. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "The pure wax extracted by bees from flowers symbolizes the pure flesh of Christ received from His Virgin Mother, the wick signifies the soul of Christ, and the flame represents His divinity."

The Church, in her beauty, uses candles and how they can reignite a drooping spirit and fill it with the fire of divine love.

Sanctuary is a word derived from the Latin sanctuarium, which is a container for keeping something in—in this case holy things or cherished people.

In the Roman Catholic Church the sanctuary is the area of the church where the altar, the ambo, and the celebrant's chair are located. This is the place where the priest, the deacon and other ministers exercise their offices.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal defines the sanctuary as "the place where the altar stands, where the word of God is proclaimed, and where the priest, the deacon and the other ministers exercise their offices" (No. 295).

The Sacrament of Baptism is one's entrance in the Body of Christ, the Family of the Church. Through this sacrament we follow Christ's command to baptize all nation's in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Through either the pouring of water or immersion in it, the person is washed clean of original sin and made a dwelling of the Holy Spirit.

A word of Greek origin, supposed to signify a mountain or elevation. The same connection alludes to Our Blessed Lord preaching from a mountain: "He went up into a mountain--and opening the mouth he taught them" (Matthew 5:1-2).

Ambos are believed to have taken their origin from the raised platform from which the Jewish rabbis read the Scriptures to the people.

Our new ambo at St. Ambrose will be a stunning, strong, permanent structure to proclaim God's Holy Word and intercede on behalf of God's Holy People.

Since the earliest days of the Church, bells have been used to call the faithful to prayer and remind them of their heavenly vocation.

Church bells call us to prepare for Masses, toll in remembrance of the faithful dead at a funeral and proclaim moments of celebration and joy such as weddings and special feasts.

Our new system at St. Ambrose will also allow us to continuing playing hymns throughout the day in thanksgiving to God for his goodness.

The Processional Cross, also called a processional crucifix, is a familiar object to most of the Catholic faithful. It is carried at the front of the procession.

The use of processional crosses in the Liturgy dates back several centuries, and the origin of this tradition is commonly credited to St. Augustine of England who died in 604.

It is carried at the front of the procession, and the figure on it should be facing forward so that the procession is moving with Christ.

The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion.

The devotion of praying the Stations started with the Franciscan friars in the Holy Land.

The spiritual significance of these structures comes straight from the Bible. Steeples were used to remind a local community to remain focused on God.

You couldn't go anywhere in town without seeing the steeple and as a result be reminded about your duty to God – to center our lives on Christ.