The Church gates depict the Four Evangelists with their symbols.
This is the first on the left hand side and it has the winged man holding a scroll which is the symbol for St. Matthew's Gospel.
The panel above his head again represents the Gospel in a scroll with the letter A behind it denoting that it is the first of the Gospels in the Bible.
The panel beneath is of bags of money and coins because by profession St. Matthew was a Tax Collector before he was called by the Lord to become a Disciple.
He is the first of the four Evangelists.
St. Mark is the second of the Evangelists and the symbol for St. Mark's Gospel is the winged lion.
You may recall the famous Basilica in Venice which is dedicated to St. Mark and the famous St. Mark's Square.
This image is depicted in the top panel. The bottom panel is of the keys of St. Peter. St. Mark was the companion of St. Peter
especially in Rome and it is believed that his Gospel is seen through the eyes of St. Peter.
The gate of St. Matthew (left) and St. Mark (right).
A slightly more abstract gate this time. However, if you look closely you will notice that the symbol for St. Luke is a winged bull. The top panel depicts paint brushes and an artist's pallet because it is believed St. Luke was an artist and by legend is supposed to have depicted a picture of The Blessed Virgin Mary and the child Jesus which now hangs in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The bottom panel depicts the symbol for a Doctor because by tradition it was understood that St. Luke was a trained doctor.
The fourth Evangelist is the patron of our Church. And the symbol for St. John's Gospel is the Eagle.
The eagle can soar to great heights
as does John's Gospel but by legend the eagle is the only bird that can look directly into the sun. It is claimed that St. John's Gospel is the
highest form of contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation. The panels above and below are the first and the last
letter of the Greek
alphabet known as the Alpha and Omega. This symbolised the fact that Jesus refers to himself as the beginning and the end -
not in John's Gospel but in another book attributed to him - the Book of Revelation:-
"It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have
this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted,
as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolators, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire
and sulphur, which is the second death."
Canon Liam P.P., Moderator.
The Gate of St. Luke (left) and St. John (right).
You may have noticed the two paintings in the "Crying Room". We made this room a little more child-friendly
and comfortable so as part of this process, two Artists, Tanya O'Keeffe and Antoinette Emoe, completed two
interesting pictures for children to look at and learn from. The first is of Noah's Ark and this delightful
picture with animals bursting out from all directions has the most important symbol of the Rainbow.
The Rainbow is a promise between God and mankind that he will never destroy mankind with a flood again.
There is a quote from the Book of Genesis where God makes a covenant (promise) always to love his people.
The second is a picture of the Last Supper where Jesus and his disciples gathered before he died and rose again and
the quote explains what's taking place so that parents can explain to children the importance of the Last Supper and the Mass.
Canon Liam P.P., Moderator.
