Tour of the Church

St. Joseph is the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Descended from the house and family of the great king of Israel, David, he was chosen by God to look  after the Father’s only Son, Jesus, and Jesus’ mother, Mary.

Where we tell Jesus that we are sorry for our sins and ask him to help us not to sin again. Jesus gave to his Church the power to forgive sins when he spoke to his apostles after the Resurrection and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20: 22-23)

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11: 29) Our Lord Jesus Christ invited all people to come to him, refusing no one: he surprised his friends and his rivals by his generosity. The Sacred Heart of Jesus never stops loving us in heaven, and he invites us to place all our hope and trust in him.

The Stations of the Cross on the walls of our church remind us of all that Jesus did for us on Good Friday. They help us to follow in his footsteps and to think about how much God loves us.

“Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood.” (Hebrews 13: 12)

Where we hear the word of God from the Old and New Testaments and hear our family story as followers of Jesus. In the Acts of the Apostles, which is the history of the early followers of Jesus, we read that the first Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2: 42)

The Chapel of our Lady in the church reminds of Jesus’ mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the first of the followers of Jesus, and she is our mother, too. When we pray the Hail Mary we are asking for her help and her prayers. “Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

The Paschal Candle is lit at the Easter Vigil, which is held on Holy Saturday night before Easter Sunday. It reminds us that Christ is the light of the world and by rising from the dead has overcome sin and death. From this one candle all the other candles in the church are lit at the Easter Vigil.

“Accept this Easter candle,
a flame divided but undimmed,
a pillar of fire that glows to the honour of God.”

The altar stands on a raised area of the church called the sanctuary. The altar is the place where, through the power of God, the bread and the wine become the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

The Tabernacle is a shrine where we reserve the Blessed Sacrament. This enables us to take Holy Communion to the sick, the housebound and the dying members of our parish. It is important for our quiet prayer in the church, because Jesus is really and truly present in the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle. The red Sanctuary Lamp on the wall near the Tabernacle reminds everyone that Jesus is present in this church, and that is why we genuflect when we enter and leave the church building.

The image of Jesus on the cross reminds us of God’s love for us and all that Jesus has done for us. At the Last Supper Jesus told his disciples, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15: 12-13)