We bless ourselves with holy water as we enter the Church so we remember our baptism. Because we are baptized, God's house is our house too!

The Processional Cross is the cross that is mounted on a long pole that is carried at the head of the procession.  It is kept in a stand at the side of the sanctuary.  It is usually held by the altar server who is there to help with our liturgy.

We praise God with song during the liturgy.  It is said that those who sing pray twice. The piano and organ helps us do just that.  The organ is like a piano that you play with your hands and feet at the same time.  Sometimes its pipes can sound like flutes, horns or other instruments. .

This our pastor, Fr. Bob. He is the shepherd of our flock at Presentation. He is wearing a white garment called an alb. Over his shoulders he wears a long beautiful strip of cloth called a stole.

The priest is called the presider because he presides over the Liturgy and gathers our prayers together. This is called the presider’s chair because it’s where the priest sits when someone else reads to us.

This is called the Ambo. This is where the First Reading, the Second Reading and the Gospel are proclaimed. The Lector reads the First & Second Readings, and the priest reads the Gospel. The four Gospel writers (Matthew, Luke, Mark & John) are represented in pewter on the front of the ambo.

This is the chalice, which holds the wine that becomes the Blood of Christ. We say “Amen” when we are offered the Blood of Christ just as we do when we are offered the Body of Christ.

This is the Sacramentary. The priest uses this book during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. It has the prayers that the priest prays on our behalf during the consecration, when the gifts of bread and wine are transformed into the Body & Blood of Jesus.

Fr. Jacek is wearing a chasuble which is the sleeveless outer vestment, it is slipped over the head of the priest and it covers the alb and the stole.  The color of this vestment varies according to the the liturgical season. During Advent the color is dark blue; during Lent it is purple; during the Christmas & Easter seasons, the color is white. Red is the color for Pentecost Sunday, Good Friday and the feast days when we remember the martyrs. Green is used during Ordinary Time. This picture was taken during the season of Ordinary Time.

This is the Tabernacle. At Mass, after the priest blesses the hosts and they become the body of Christ served at communion, this is a sacred place where the communion is kept. If a Eucharistic Minister is asked to bring communion to someone who’s sick at home or in the hospital, they can bring it from the tabernacle. This is the holiest place in the church because Jesus is present there. The candles next to the tabernacle remain lit during Mass.

This is our Sanctuary Lamp. It hangs near the tabernacle. This candle stays lit all the time to let us know that Jesus is present in the bread within the tabernacle. The only day it is not lit is on Good Friday, the day we remember Jesus’ death on the cross.

This is our crucifix that hangs on the wall behind the altar. The difference between a crucifix and a cross is that when you see Jesus on the cross, it is called a crucifix.

This is our Paschal Candle or Easter Candle. Each year, a new one is lit at the Easter Vigil and processed into the dark church symbolizing the Light of Christ. This candle stays lit throughout the Easter Season. It is also lit at every baptism and funeral. The candles we each received at our baptism was lit from the Paschal Candle, giving us each the Light of Christ.

This stained glass window is the largest one we have and is in our choir loft. Every stained glass window tells a story and this one represents the Feast of the Presentation (which is celebrated on February 2), our parish’s namesake. It is the story of Mary and Joseph presenting Jesus at the temple, 40 days after he was born, as was the custom back then.

These are statues of the Holy Family located at the back of the church (Mary, mother of Jesus, Joseph - Jesus’ earthly father, and the boy Jesus). The feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas. The way they lived their lives inspire us to live as Holy Families.