Welcome
Welcome to Catholic Symbols dot org!
There are dozens and dozens of different Catholic symbols that have been used over the years and while some have been forgotten or fallen by the wayside, many are still in use today. Some, like the crucifix and rosary are very well known. Yet others, such as the Monstrance or Sacrifice Beads are not as known outside the church.
Often questions of origin, meaning and use come up and here we attempt to answer those curiosities. The symbols of the Roman Catholic Church are divine in their meaning. They are material yet have a spiritual quality. Many early Catholic symbols already existed in cultures where the gospel of Jesus was being spread and then were adopted with Christian meaning. The egg representing rebirth is one such example.
The first Christians had no problem using images, pictures, or statues and they were not viewed in the early church as forms of idolatry. Other simple elements such as water and fire were adopted as Catholic symbols and were widely used.
Some of the oldest symbols in the Christian church are centered on the sacraments. There are seven of them in the Roman Catholic Church; Baptism, Penance, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination and Unction.
Of course two of the most widely recognized Christian symbols are the Fish (which means Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior) and the Cross or Crucifix (do you the difference between the two).
One note bout this blog’s structure. If you’ve landed on the main domain page, catholicsymbols.org, you will see that there are only 5 posts per page. You can use the sites search feature on the right side panel to find a particular story. You can also click on a category on the same panel to bring up stories classified under that particular category.
Some of the more popular pages include:
We will explore these many , often obscure, Catholic symbols in the posts to come. Feel free to leave your comments, questions and suggestions.
