St. James' Memorabilia
NEEDLEPOINT KNEELERS
The needlepoint kneelers at the communion rail, designed by Jane Birchfield and Anne Myers, and stitched by church members in 1970, symbolize Christ and the twelve Apostles.
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Christ Goldfinch surmounting crown of thorns, representing His triumph over crucifixion |
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St. Peter A crowing cock recalling his denial; the keys representing his confession of Jesus as the Christ |
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St. Andrew Two fish, representing his calling, in the form of the cross of his martyrdom |
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St. James the Great A pilgrim’s staff with a banner bearing a scallop shell, emblems of the pilgrimage to his tomb in Spain |
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St. John An eagle, his traditional symbol |
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St. Phillip The dragon, a medieval symbol, referring to the miracle he allegedly performed at Hierapolis |
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St. Jude A ship representing his missionary journeys by sea |
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St. James the Less Two fuller’s bats, instruments of his martyrdom, in the form of a cross |
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St. Matthew Three money bags, denoting his early calling as a tax collector |
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St. Thomas A builder’s square, representing a church he built in India, together with a spear and arrows by which he was killed |
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St. Bartholomew Three flaying knives, instruments of his martyrdom |
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St. Simon the Zealot A single fish rising on a wave, denoting his life as a fisherman and as a fisher of men |
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St. Matthias Three dice representing his being chosen, by lot, to replace Judas Iscariot |