Catholic Signs &

Symbols
The Crucifix & the Cross

The crucifix is a sign and a symbol. It is the greatest of all Catholic signs and
symbols. As a sign it points towards the reality of Jesus passion, death and
resurrection; it points towards our salvation. As a symbol it represents the abstract
notions of unconditional love and sacrifice that Jesus showed by dying for us on the
cross.
The Cross, on the other hand, even though it is a widely used and popular Christian
symbol, it is not restrictively Catholic. In the Christian sense, it does remind us of
Christ but socio-historically, it is a symbol for punishment and total humiliation. It is
also however a symbol used regularly in popular culture (in health care as a symbol

The Sacred Heart

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a symbol of the divine love that Jesus has for us all. It is
a very powerful image to illustrate the depth and strength of Jesus love; how it
goes on forever regardless of even the most terrible things we might do to each
other.
We often hear the terms Sacred Heart of Jesus at Mass when we sometimes recite
special chaplets or devotions to Our Lord.

The Alpha & Omega

The Alpha & Omega are common symbols which we Christians have used for many
years to refer to God. They are literally the first and last letters of the Greek
alphabet, and we use them as metaphors to talk about God as being infinite and
timeless- the beginning and end of all things.
We see the letters Alpha & Omega during the season of Lent, especially on Easter
Saturday when we light the new Easter (Paschal) Candle.

IHS & CHI-RHO

Both these inscriptions are the Ancient Greek ways of writing Jesus name.
IHS we often see on the host at Mass or at the top of the Crucifix.
CHI-RHO (XP) is another way of writing Jesus name in Greek.

The Fleur de Lis

The Fleur de Lis is a symbol for Mary which we can find in

churches and chapels devoted to Our Lady. It is an image of a white lily which is
used to represent the beauty and purity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary our
Mother.

The Fish

The fish is one of the most common symbols used by the Early Christians (post
Jesus death and resurrection) to secretly identify themselves as followers of Christ,
during a time in Palestine where any known Christians were being persecuted and
put to death by the Roman and Jewish authorities for practicing Christianity (that is,
for celebrating the Eucharist, praying to and worshiping Jesus).
The symbol itself has references to Jesus miracle of the loaves and the fishes but
more accurately, it is a direct link to Jesus call for us to become his disciples and to
proclaim and spread the Good News as fishers of men. Today this symbol has
been preserved and is still used by Christians all around the world as a way of
identifying themselves.

The Lamb

The Lamb is one of the most important and commonly used symbols for Christ. It
links directly to the notion of Jesus being the Lamb of God and links directly to
Jesus perfection of the Sacrificial Lamb from the Old Testament times by becoming
the New Passover Lamb who saved us by bearing our sins and sacrificing himself for
all of us on that cross.

The Dove

The Dove is a symbol of peace, but more importantly, it is a symbol for the Holy
Spirit. We often refer to Holy Spirit as coming upon us in the likeness of a dove
during Baptism and Confirmation especially.