Meaning and Symbolism

Inspired by St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and in a time of turmoil within the Church, we are called to bring about order and peace—eternal salvation—and a mission to see Christ gathered into all things in the right order—according to the plan God the Father intended from the beginning.

This is what we are called to do as the Body of Christ. Our first vocation is a call to holiness. Drawing from Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross—our parish’s focal point, expressed in our motto Instaurare Omnia in Christo—we are called to active participation.

During the post-Vatican II period, when the chapel was established as a parish, the involvement of believers became pertinent not only as participants but also as witnesses to the faith. In a broad sense, the Church’s teaching encourages the faithful to participate fully and actively in the liturgy. Sacrosanctum Concilium teaches that the Church desires that all the faithful be led to fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations, which is “their right and duty by reason of their baptism.” It also urges pastors to promote liturgical instruction so that the faithful can participate both internally and externally, including through responses, acclamations, psalmody, songs, actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes—with reverent silence at the proper times.

In the Eucharist, Jesus comes to us and unites us to Himself. The Catechism explains that in the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of His Body; the lives of the faithful—praise, sufferings, prayer, and work—are united with Christ’s offering and “acquire a new value.” (CCC, 1368)

The Church exists to reconcile us with God and to reconcile us with one another. Inspired by this mission, the pioneers of the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice created a logo to visually express the theology of the holy sacrifice—a sign by which churchgoers, the surrounding communities and the student body around the university can readily recognize parish activity and events.

At the center is a cross, signifying that Christ must be at the center of every area of life. With the cross are leaves; together they symbolize the tree of life—the life-giving act, reflecting the life-giving Cross rooted in sacrifice. Through His Cross, we are redeemed; from the seed of faith, once planted, life grows.

The roots—“to restore all things in Christ”—are the core of our mission. From the seed of faith, rooted in mission, flows life: the blood becomes a river, and the outpouring of our actions becomes visible in our lives.

The cross and leaves—enduring without end—communicate that faith and the life of sacrifice must extend beyond ourselves to our communities. There are no barriers between the cross and the spreading of the seed; bleeding outward—on campus, in communities, and to society as a whole. This is a work undertaken with God at the center, rebuilding relationships.

The seed has been planted by the chapel and nourished by the Eucharist. By that grace, we are commissioned to respond through loving action, sacrifice and service.