Sanctuary
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The Sanctuary of the Oratory
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The iconography of the sanctuary is defined by the central invitation of Christ in the Book of Revelation 21:5 carved into the rood beam: “Behold, I make all things new.” To the left of the sanctuary, the carved inscription over the emergency exit door is St. John the Baptist’s invitation: “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.” (Jn 1:29). To the right of the sanctuary, over the votive candle alcove, will is the invitation from the Song of Songs: “Behold you are beautiful, my Beloved, behold you are beautiful.” (SS 1:15). This threefold invitation to “behold” is particularly fitting for a place wholly dedicated to Eucharistic adoration.
The sanctuary arch has stenciled above it the following passage, in two long lines following the arch: “As an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among young men. With great delight I sat in His shadow, and His fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love” (SS 2:3-4). This phrase frames the carved wooden sculpture of the Tree of Life Crucifix and the figures of the Virgin Mary and John the Apostle flanking it, surrounding Mary Magdalene clinging to the Tree’s base. The figure of Christ Crucified forms a vertical devotional axis with the Holy Eucharist in the monstrance enthroned under the ciborium canopy of the altar. -
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The Ambo
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Moses
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St. Luke
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St. John
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John the Baptist
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St. Paul
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St. Mark
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St. Matthew
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The ambo has been designed to accommodate figurines making visible the patristic axiom, “The old is revealed in the new, and the new is concealed in the old.” St. John the Baptist stands at the center, because he is the last prophet of the Old Covenant and the first prophet of the New Covenant. Flanking him are Moses and St. Paul, representing the promises made to the Jews and the Gentiles. Two Evangelists are on either side of the upper part of the ambo, St. Mark and St. Luke on the visible side and St. John and St. Matthew on the side facing the wall (they are less visible because they are already represented as part of the twelve Apostles on the Altar!). The base of the ambo houses a figurine of an enthroned Black Madonna holding the Christ Child: The Virgin Mary, like the ambo itself, is the throne of the Word of God. The coloration of the figurine also evokes the declaration of the Bride in the Song of Songs: “I am beautifully black.” (SS 1:5).
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Pelican
The pelican is an ancient symbol for Jesus because legend has it that the mother pelican would pluck her own breast for her young to drink her blood if they were in danger of starving.
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Sanctuary Lamp
The Sanctuary lamp is a symbol of the presence of Jesus in the tabernacle and/or monstrance. When the candle is lit, we know the Eucharist is present.
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