The Saints to whom the
Churches are dedicated..
Churches are dedicated..
St. Mary is also referred to as the Virgin Mary. She is venerated as the mother of Jesus Christ. She gave birth to Him in a stable in Bethlehem and encouraged Him to perform His first miracle, turning water into wine, at the wedding in Canna. She stood, with the other women, beneath the cross when Christ was crucified. She is usually depicted holding a lily and clothed in blue.
St. Helen is believed to have been a ‘serving wench’ in Colchester during the third century. She was the concubine of Constantius Chlorus and gave birth to his son Constantine in either 272 or 273. Constantine was proclaimed Emperor by the Legions at York in 306. Following this event Helen made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and was instrumental in the building of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was in Jerusalem that Helen is held to have discovered the ‘True’ or ‘Holy’ Cross. She is always depicted
St. Michael is one of the archangels. He is the warrior archangel, who leads the forces of good into battle against the forces of evil. He is usually depicted holding a sword. Sometimes he holds the scales of justice. The name ‘Michael’ signifies ‘Who is like God?’ Michael has been regarded as a protector by the church since the time of the Apostles. He and Gabriel are the two archangels mention most often in the Bible.
St. Thomas, who is sometimes called Didymus, was one of the twelve original apostles, chosen by Christ from the larger group of disciples who followed Him during His ministry. Thomas is more commonly known as ‘Doubting Thomas’, for it was he who refused to believe the others when they told him of Christ’s resurrection, with out the evidence of his own eyes. Christ appears to Thomas and gently rebukes him for his lack of faith.