Fitzroy School

Holy Trinity Church

This is the Vicar of Holy Trinty church, and she is standing in front of the sanctuary which we will talk about later. She gave us some of the information that you'll read.

Q1. Why did people start the church other than as a place to worship?
A 1. It was a special place for worship, communion, fellowship and a great meeting place for the Fitzroy and wider community to meet once a week. The church was started to establish Christian beginnings within this community.

Q2.What are the special traditions that we can see?
A1. As you walk into the church a special feature is the baptism font. Baptism means becoming a member of the Christian church. Water is poured on the child's head to signify a new beginning or a rebirth. It is not just a child who can go through this as adults, youth or the elderly can also be baptised.

TAPESTRY

The Tapestry at the front of the church originally belonged to Saint Mary's Church but if the bishop had put it up there, the people who went to that church said they would leave, so Holy Trinity said they'd love to have it. The tapestry is of the Last Supper. The lady who stitched it was 84 years old. The tapestry is as old as the church, which is 160 years old.

PEWS

Churches did not always have places to sit. It was not until the 18th century that pews became common, although some churches had benches around the outside walls of the church. Sometimes rich families built their own pews. The pews at Holy Trinity are made of rimu wood, just like the building is. They have kneeling pads to make it more comfortable when you are praying.

ALTER

There is an alter, or communion table, in the middle of the sanctuary up at the front. This is where the vicar celebrates the communion - remembering Christ's death and resurrection and sharing bread and wine with people. The vicar says "Do this in rememberance of me," which is what Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Supper, before he was taken away to be crucified by the Romans. Candles are used on the alter to signify the light of Christ.

BIBLE

The Bible is the book that Christians live by. People read the Bible to understand how Jesus would like us to live our life and what He has done for us.

THE EAGLE

The eagle is a lecturn and it is a symbol of freedom and power. In a church there would be a time when people come up to the eagle, and stand behind it and read to everyone else from the Bible.

CROSS

A cross is another powerful symbol in the church. Some have Christ on them to remind us of how Jesus died for us, and the plain cross is to recognise Jesus risen from the dead. Many people wear a Cross around their neck and some don't realize the powerful significance behind it.