St John Chrysostom Parish, Arnprior, Ontario
295 Albert St K7S 2M7 Arnprior, ON, Canada

SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM AND A NEW SIGN FOR THE CHURCH ( from the bulletin October 11th, 2020) Many of you know that in our church we have a statue of our patron saint Saint John Chrysostom above the Baptistry. When you look at the statue, it is hard to miss the book in one hand, and a quill (writing instrument) in the other. But have you noticed what is by his feet? A bee hive! But do you know why?... Saint John Chrysostom (347407 A.D.), known earlier in his life simply as John of Antioch, was the Archbishop of Constantinople, and with a small number of others is considered to be one of the greatest Fathers of the early Eastern church. St John Chrysostom was also named a Doctor of the Church shortly after his death. His 600 homilies and 200 letters that have survived, display an eloquence and insight which early on earned him the descriptive name Golden-Mouth, or in the Greek, Chrysostomos as the words came from his mouth like honey. And this, of course, leads to the symbolism of the bee hive; it points to its inhabitants and products - bees, honey and wax. Over the centuries these have had a deep connection with the Church. Bees have come to symbolize many powerful traits including wisdom, purity, industriousness, as well as working for, and even dying for the sake of others. Of course, using the wax of the hive to make the candles to light the church was just another sign of the ingenuity of the worker bee, while the candles made of beeswax were symbols for Christ. There is now a new sign on the ramp wall for St John Chrysostom Parish, announcing our weekend Mass times, and one by the door of the Parish Office. There is an emblematic beehive (representative of St John Golden-Mouth Chrysostom, and the many strong traits mentioned above). On the left on a three-step base (one God in three persons) stands a Cross which we known as a precursor to the empty tomb. Christ is risen. Truly, He is risen

Just a reminder on where to find the best information on Saint John Chrysostom Parish: www.saintjohnchrysostom.org