Christ, Prince of Peace: Our Relics, Statues & Symbols

In the Church's history and tradition, the altar was often placed over the tombs of the saints or the relics of saints were deposited beneath the altar. The presence of the relics of saints in the altar provides a witness to the Church's belief that the Eucharist celebrated on the altar is the source of grace that won sanctity for the saints. The custom of placing small relics of martyrs or other saints in an altar stone and setting this in the Mensa (relic stone) has changed since the Second Vatican Council. Relics of martyrs or other saints may be placed beneath the altar, as long as the relics are of a size sufficient for them to be recognizable as parts of a human body and that they are undoubted authenticity. Relics are no longer placed on the altar or set into the altar stone.

The relics of the martyrs St. Clement and St. Aurelius are the original relics of our church. We have a copy of the document that certifies the relics dated August 27, 1973. There is a polished granite stone with a cross in it marking the place of the relics beneath the altar.

The Processional Cross is fashioned from bronze and is mounted on a design of bronze and red oak. Sturdy and of noble materials, it leads the processions at the beginnings and end of each Mass. The documents state a processional cross must bear a corpus. The figure is a hybrid of two historical forms, Christus Patiens and Christus Triumphans. Christ, the patient and silent, and Christ the Triumphant and Victorious King. The artist, Steve Erspamer S.M., chose them as the forms that reflected the representation of Christ most appropriately for our own church. The background for the cross was part of our original processional cross for continuity between the old and the new.

The Altar, the Holy Table, should be the most noble and most beautifully designed and constructed table the community can provide. It is the common table of the assembly, a symbol of the Lord, at which the presiding minister stands and upon which are placed the bread and wine, their vessels and Sacramentary. We kept our original altar marble for historical reasons and because the marble is a timeless, strong element. The base of the altar was re-fashioned with red oak and steel.

The ambo is a standing desk for reading and preaching. Like tha ltar, it should be beautifully designed, constructed of fine materials and proportioned carefully and simply for its function. The ambo represents the dignity and uniqueness of the Word of God and of reflection upon that Word. The marble from the base of the original altar was used to add appeal to the ambo and again, keep what we originally had as part of the new renovation. Red oak and black walnut woods were added in a complementary fashion to the rest of the sanctuary furnishings.

The role of the priest is to preside over the assembly and direct prayer. Thus, the chair of the priest celebrant should be visible to the entire congregation. It should be made of sturdy, worthy material and uniquely define that it is the seat for the presiding priest, yet, not be grandiose in finish. The celebrant's chair is constructed of red oak and black walnut woods with an accent of marble from the church's original altar. The use of this marble completes the consistency between the sanctuary spp9ointments of the altar, the ambo and the celebrant's chair. The deacon chair is a complementary piece to the celebrant's chair and is positioned in the sanctuary on the priest's immediate right.

A crucifix is a cross with the Corpus of Christ on it. A crucifix must be in every sanctuary where the sacrifice of the Mass takes place since this sacrifice is the same as that of Calvary. The crucifix symbolizes all the merits of Jesus' actual death on the cross and those merits are continuing to be produced in our Eucharistic Worship.

Our crucifix is hand carved from linden wood, a rather rare and high quality wood, and was crafted in Germany. The corpus of the crucified Christ reflects Christ's Kingship as many images of Christ were shown in the period of the 8th to the 11th century. The Corpus also shows Christ with His eyes open. This is how the ancients portrayed the Resurrection; that Christ, though he died, still lives. Looking into the open eyes of Christ represents a window to look into the sacred and spiritual world and to be seen and loved in return for who we are as humans. The wooden cross is constructed of black walnut, oak and gold leaf.

There is an artistic connection in our Crucifix with our city's patron saint, Louis IX of France as well. The crown has three fleur-de-lis appearing on it. This symbol was the crest of St. Louis' family, the Valois line. St. Louis IX was widely known for his quickness to forgive. As our Prince of Peace, Jesus gives us the peace that comes from forgiveness.

The purpose of the tabernacle is to serve as a place of permanent repose for the consecrated Eucharist. Since the tabernacle holds the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the requirements of a "worthy" tabernacle are one which is solid, immovable, opaque, locked and beautiful in design. During the renovation, our original tabernacle was redesigned with a textured bronze and a new pointed top piece to increase the attributes of strength and beauty. It rests on a pedestal of oak and black walnut with a shelf that can be pulled out to place the monstrance with the Eucharist for adoration. The sanctuary lamp burns continuously directly in front and above the tabernacle when the Eucharist is inside.

The stations of the cross began after Jesus died and rose from the dead when people began making visits to Jerusalem to walk in Jesus' footsteps. The traditional 14 stations became standard in the 18th century

The biggest challenge at Christ, Prince of Peace Church in determining the construction for our stations of the cross was the lack of wall space. Ultimately, the floor became the ideal choice to have the stations visually present and a part of our everyday worship without cluttering many items on a small wall. You can really walk the stations of the cross through the entire church. The ability to have this movement throughout the church was a key determinant in the final decision for the stations. Each station is made of a polished granite tile that has been sandblasted with the cross, the Roman numeral of the station and the scripture citation of each station. The citations are based on the Pope John Paul II versions of the stations of the cross.

During the holy season of Lent our parish offers this community the opportunity to come together and walk the stations of the cross. Whether celebrated individually or with the community, the stations of the cross offer a way for the faithful to enter more fully into the Passion and Death of the Lord and to serve as another manifestation of the pilgrim Church on its homeward journey. The stations at Christ, Prince of Peace now found in the floor of the worship space quite clearly depict the "Way of the Cross."

The consecration candles are the four candles affixed to the walls that mark the four boundaries of the church structure, north, south, east and west. The candles rest in a granite base with a cross that has been sandblasted onto the granite. The purpose of these candles is to signify that the entire church belongs to Christ. During the rite of dedication, the Bishop anoints the consecration candles with sacred chrism. The candles are then lit for anniversaries of the dedication and on solemn occasions.

Fabricated from steel and bronze, the candle arc is a strong and noble piece of art for the purpose of individual intentions to the Holy Family. Candles are a symbol for us of God's revelation to us throughout our salvation history as fire and light. Donations can be given to the rectory who will assure the candle is promptly lit or can be inserted into the envelope provided and placed in the nearby basket.

The Holy Family statues were originally chosen by Fr. Stolzer, our founding pastor, for two reasons: Jesus, as a young boy, represents the Prince of Peace and the Holy Family is a model for our parish families to emulate. The statues were carved from wood and made in Italy. Once here, they were hung on the brick wall to the north side of the altar.

During the renovation it was decided to keep these statues as a representation of our original church. The natural alcove that occurred from moving the cry room became an ideal location for the statues.