| |
| The Choir Loft |
| Above the Narthex is the Choir Loft. |
|
 |
| Above the loft is the Rose Window, depicting
symbols of eleven of the twelve apostles, and Saint Paul in place
of Judas of Iscariot.
 |
| Just below the Rose Window, we find two
smaller windows. On the left, we see
Pope Saint
Gregory I (The Great), most noted for his contribution
of the
Gregorian Chant to the liturgy, and
Saint
Cecilia, the patron Saint of musicians. |
|
Pope St. Gregory I ("the Great")
Saint Cecilia
|
|
From the Choir Loft, we see broad view of the
church, normally reserved for our choir and organist. High
above we see eight stained glass windows on each side (again,
eight as a symbol of perfection). Each of these windows
depicts a special moment in Christ Divine ministry, which is why
they are elevated above the Nave.
The lower windows that you see are of Saints and
prophets. They are located below the divine topics because
these are people like us. |
|
 |
|
To the left of the Choir Loft, we see Jesus
presenting Saint Peter with the Keys to Heaven, portraying
Apostolicity. We read in the Gospel of Matthew
that Jesus proclaimed "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and
upon this rock I will build my church,
13 and the gates of the
netherworld shall not prevail against it." (Matthew
16:18) Hence, we see the Saint Peter's Basilica upon a
firm rock in the background. |
|
 |
|
Of course, we know that St. Peter's Basilica was
did not exist at this time. But because church
architecture, and stained-glass windows in particular were used
as a teaching tool for the masses, they often depict
romanticized visions of church history.
To the right of the loft, there is a window portraying
Forgiveness of Sins. The story of the adulterous
woman sits with Jesus' hand upon her shoulder, with three
disappointed-looking Jewish elders looking on (as told in
John 8:3)
 |
|
|
|
The Roof
When
we look up at the roof, we see wooden trusses and rafters, which
if we were to invert the photo, would look like the the hull of
a ship. (A hull is the body or frame of a ship or boat.
It is a central concept in water vessels. The hull is
essentially what keeps the water from entering the boat and acts
as the walls and floor of the vessel.)
Just
as the crew members of a ship join together to partake in a
voyage, so do we as one parish working together on our own
spiritual journey. |
|
 |
|
If we
take a closer look at the center of each truss, we see three
vertical wooden members, which transform in to one central
member. This is yet another symbol of the Holy Trinity-
Father, Son and Holy Spirit- Three Persons in One.
|
 |
|
If we look closer still, we see metal supports
that hold the truss members together. This metal support
looks like a church, with its arms outstretched in all
directions, holding the separate members together as one.
This symbolizes yet again how this one church buildings unifies
us all as one family. |
|
 |
|
Now let us continue our tour by
clicking on the stairs |
| |
RCIA Podcast