From the founding of our parish in 1978, the Jerusalem Cross played a part in our church history...
- It is used in the brick sign-post announcing our parish at the corner of McHenry Avenue and Dartmoor Drive, and along with the silhouette of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, it is featured on the top/back corner of our church building.
- The cross can also be found in one of the four panels of the stained glass window depicting the life of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in the church narthex.
- Until June 2001, a large wooden Jerusalem Cross was affixed to the wall behind the main altar. It has since been replaced by a more traditional crucifix. The Jerusalem Cross was moved to its new home in the Parish Center, where it is prominently displayed as part of our parish history.
The Jerusalem Cross was the symbol of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, which existed for almost two hundred years after the First Crusade. The four smaller crosses are said to symbolize either the four books of the Gospel or the four directions in which the Word of Christ spread from Jerusalem. Alternately, all five crosses can symbolize the five wounds of Christ during the Passion. [1] — *Wikipedia, the On-Line Encyclopedia*
[1] Attributed: Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License.
