Month: April 2025

The Pelican: An Ancient Symbol of Christ’s Eucharistic Love

/ chicoinematt

Sponsored: This article is made possible by Archangel Outfitters supporting quality and engaging Catholic content.

While the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah are the most obvious and biblically clear animal symbols for Jesus Christ, the pelican is an under-rated symbol that is rich in meaning and beauty. There are many birds used in Christian history to represent God: like the dove for the Holy Spirit and even the Mother Hen as an analogy to speak of Christ’s protection of his people in Luke 13:31-35.

Honestly, I had never heard about the pelican as a symbol of Jesus Christ until a few years ago. Since discovering this powerful symbol I have started to notice it more and more in various parishes where I have attended Mass over the years. I have seen etchings of this majestic bird on pillars at the cathedral in my city and have seen the pelican adorned on altars in a variety of ways.

A Symbol Hidden in Plain Sight

I traveled to Italy during college and visited both Assisi and Rome. I wish I had known about the pelican symbol back then because I would have seen some beautiful portrayals of this symbol of Christ in those awesome churches. Before learning about its spiritual significance, the only time I really thought about pelicans was when looking up NBA scores and seeing the New Orleans Pelicans! It’s amazing how something can transform from mundane to meaningful once you understand its deeper significance.

Today, I wear a pelican brown scapular (I alternate it with my traditional style brown scapular every other day), and I received an awesome pelican t-shirt from Archangel Outfitters to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi. These small reminders help keep this powerful symbol of Christ’s sacrifice close to my heart.

This is one of the coolest shirts I own. I wear it almost weekly. It’s perfect for the summertime!

An Ancient Legend Transformed

The image of the mother pelican feeding her baby pelicans is rooted in several ancient Roman legends that precede Christianity. One version is that in time of famine, the mother pelican wounded herself, striking her breast with her beak to feed her young with her blood. Another version was that the mother fed her dying young with her blood to revive them from death, but in turn lost her own life.

Given these traditions, one can easily understand how early Christians adapted it to symbolize our Lord, Jesus Christ. The pelican symbolizes Jesus our Redeemer who gave His life for our redemption and feeds us with His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. We were dead to sin and have found new life through the sacrifice of Christ.

The Biblical Connection

While the pelican doesn’t appear directly in Scripture as a symbol for Christ, Jesus himself uses bird imagery to describe his protective love. In Luke 13:31-35, after Pharisees warn him about Herod’s death threats, Jesus laments over Jerusalem:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, yet you were not willing.”

This tender image of a mother bird gathering her young under wings for protection parallels the sacrificial nature of the pelican legend. Both emphasize Christ’s desire to protect, nourish, and save his people, even at great personal cost.

As Jesus told his disciples (and us), “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Saint Cyril of Alexandria echoed this when he wrote, “Christ came into this world in human flesh not to be served, but, as he himself said, to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Physiologus and Medieval Symbolism

This tradition and others is found in the Physiologus, an early Christian work which appeared in the second century in Alexandria, Egypt. Written by an anonymous author, this text recorded legends of animals and gave each an allegorical interpretation.

The legend of the pelican is described: “The little pelicans strike their parents, and the parents, striking back, kill them. But on the third day the mother pelican strikes and opens her side and pours blood over her dead young. In this way they are revivified and made well. So Our Lord Jesus Christ says also through the prophet Isaiah: I have brought up children and exalted them, but they have despised me (Is 1:2). We struck God by serving the creature rather than the Creator. Therefore, He deigned to ascend the cross, and when His side was pierced, blood and water gushed forth unto our salvation and eternal life.”

This work was noted by numerous authors and was popular in the Middle Ages as a source for the symbols used in stone carvings and other artwork of that period.

The Pelican in Literature

The pelican symbol appears frequently in Renaissance literature. In 1312, Dante wrote in his “Paridiso” of Christ as “our Pelican who shed His blood in order to give eternal life to the children of men.” In 1606, John Lyly wrote in his “Euphues” of the “pelicane who stricketh blood out of its owne bodye to do others good.” Even Shakespeare referenced this symbolism in Hamlet: “to his good friend thus wide, I’ll open my arms and, like the kind, life-rendering pelican repast them with my blood.” In modern English this would translate as: “I’ll open my arms wide to his true friends, and like a mother pelican with her brood, I’ll even give my blood for them.”

Jesus cares for us like the mother pelican cares for her young.

The Eucharistic Connection

The pelican has been part of our liturgical tradition for centuries. In his great Eucharistic hymn “Adoro te devote,” St. Thomas Aquinas directly addresses Christ as the “pie pelicane, Jesu Domine” (the pious pelican, Lord Jesus), asking him to “wash my filthiness and clean me with your blood.”

This Eucharistic connection is why we often see the pelican image on tabernacles, altar frontals, and other church furnishings. The image powerfully reminds us of Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist, where He continues to feed us with His Body and Blood.

As Saint Pio of Pietrelcina said, “It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass.” The Eucharist is not merely a symbol but the very life of Christ given to sustain us spiritually, just as the pelican in the legend sustains her young with her own blood.

Saint John Paul II reminded us that “Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love.” The image of the pelican helps us visualize this profound truth—Christ giving Himself completely for our salvation and nourishment.

Finding the Pelican in Our Churches

Next time you’re in a church, especially an older one with traditional furnishings, look around carefully. You might spot a pelican carved on an altar, etched in a stained glass window, or painted on a tabernacle door. These images aren’t random decorations but powerful reminders of Christ’s sacrificial love.

In Catholic tradition, the pelican image on a tabernacle door symbolizes the “body of Christ” within. But more commonly, the pelican symbol is found at the top of the cross in late-medieval and Renaissance Crucifixion images, reinforcing the connection between Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the nourishment we receive in the Eucharist.

The pelican serves as a beautiful reminder that Christ not only died for us but continues to feed us with His very life. As we receive the Eucharist, we can meditate on this ancient symbol and be thankful for the Lord who, like the pelican of legend, gives His very life to sustain His children.

Thanks again to today’s post sponsor! Visit Archangel Outfitters for cool and awesome Catholic apparel!

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The Dawn That Conquered Death

/ chicoinematt

When darkness held dominion deep,

And stone stood guard o’er death’s repose,

A secret stirred where shadows steep;

The mighty paradox arose.

Not in the blare of trumpets loud,

But in the hush where mourners trod,

The graveclothes folded, death disavowed,

The greatest jest of the laughing God.

For what is this but worlds remade?

The Paschal mystery unfurled:

The debt of ancient Adam paid,

The hinge on which turns all the world.

They sought the dead among the living,

Found emptiness where death should reign;

A gardener stood, His presence giving

Proof that dying was not in vain.

This is no mere remembrance pale,

No dusty legend time erodes;

But present power that cannot fail,

The cornerstone of new abodes.

The Feast of feasts, Solemnity prime,

Where bread and wine bear witness true;

The sacrifice outside of time

Made manifest for me and you.

On Friday’s cross, from sin we’re freed,

In Sunday’s light, new life begins;

This twofold gift is all we need—

The Paschal victory that wins.

What madness this! What wild decree!

That God should die that man might live;

That eyes once blind are made to see

The glory heaven deigns to give.

The world spins on, both old and new,

As men seek rest in towers of stone;

But hearts find home in what is true:

The place where Christ makes all His own.

So stand amazed at break of day,

When death gives way to life’s increase;

The stone that blocked is rolled away,

And thunders forth the word of “Peace.”

In Eastertide, our joy extends

Beyond one day to fifty more;

The season starts; it never ends,

A feast that reaches shore to shore.

For we walk now in newness of life,

Adopted heirs and siblings all;

Beyond the tomb and mortal strife,

Responding to our Father’s call.

The first day of creation’s dawn

Shines brighter than the ancient sun;

The old world died; the new world born:

Heaven and history now are one.

© 2025 Matthew Chicoine

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An 809 Word Interview with Daniel Markham

/ chicoinematt / 1 Comment

Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Daniel Markham via phone call on April 9th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

What inspired you to embark on this journey to attend Mass in all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico?

Version 1.0.0

In 2016, I just dropped off my son to high school soccer practice and I was reminded of a parish and this idea came over me about visiting various parishes across the country. I realized this idea wasn’t from me but it was something I was called to do. 

In 2018-2019 I sent letters to all the bishops and archbishops and got permission from my parish. During a span of six months I emailed all the parishes that I had email addresses from. 

I started receiving invitations from various churches and I was getting phone calls from various churches and this was when the idea for the book really came into focus. I aimed to start this in January 2021 but due to the Covid Pandemic I wasn’t able to really begin until June 2021. I travelled where I was able to attend. For example, I was in Nebraska writing about a Native American Mission and attended Mass at a school because it made sense in terms of the story I was telling. For most of the Masses it was on a Sunday. 

Of all the parishes you visited, which one surprised you the most or left the deepest impression on you?

Great question! It was actually three: 

Cottonwood, Idaho (Assumption, Ferdinand; Saint Mary’s, Cottonwood; Saint Anthony, Greencreek)- this state is predominantly Mormon but Idaho County is the one exception where it’s mainly Catholic. The only monastery in the state is just outside of Cottonwood: Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of Gertrude. The thing that stood out to me was that I wasn’t expecting this beauty and wonderful Catholic community. I fell in love with the people there! They actually added parishioners coming out of Covid.

How did witnessing so many different expressions of the same faith change your own relationship with Catholicism?

My faith grew without question. If I could go to multiple Masses on a Sunday I tried. Normally, I would hear one homily a week. One particular week, I heard three homilies. Each priest took a different, but equally valid, approach to the reading. These experiences highlighted how rich our Catholic faith is and how we can find so much richness in the Scriptures. 

I had experiences that I could see as being negative. There was a weekend I had to stay in a bad motel room, but it reminded me (through a homily that weekend) that in every experience we are blessed. Even in the suffering. The closer one comes to God the greater the understanding that there is blessing in everything we experience here on Earth. An incredible sense of peace occurred and I feel different sharing the Eucharist multiple times a week and in different parishes. 

I could drive 15 to 16 hours at a time, and I realized it was the power of the Eucharist that sustained me. When I got tired it was when I allowed my worries and the human desires to creep in. But when I had that faith and trust in God I was truly fueled during my travels. 

What common thread did you notice among the most vibrant Catholic communities you encountered?

Wow! That’s a good question. I guess those places where the greater understanding of the Real Presence in the Eucharist existed was the most unifying aspect. It made for the most authentically Catholic communities. Mass is the foundation of our life and the Eucharist is the foundation of the Mass.

After visiting such diverse Catholic communities, what do you think most American Catholics misunderstand about the broader Church in our country?

I think for most Catholics they don’t think much beyond their own parish. For people more engaged there might be a sense of disagreement; maybe some people are more conservative or liberal. I think what we miss in this is that there’s so much more that unites us than divides us. We say the same Creed each week. What we say we believe in the Creed unites us and are more important than what happens in the various differences at the Mass. Some Masses are said in Latin and some in the vernacular. The Eucharist is the same. There’s vastly more that unites us than that divides us. 

If readers take just one message from “52 Masses,” what would you hope that message would be?

All of these people I visited had something in common. They answered the call from Christ. Don’t say no to God! 

Where can my readers find your work? 

www.52Masses.com

About Daniel:

Daniel Markham is the author of 52 Masses, which chronicles his 2021-22 trip to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to experience Catholicism in America. At each parish he visited, Daniel wrote about someone or something taking place there – a ministry, an effort at evangelization, an individual’s story, etc. He attended Mass in parishes of all sizes, in rural, urban and suburban settings and a few places that weren’t parishes at all. The idea was to explore the many ways Catholics are living the faith in the United States. His book was published at the end of 2022. Daniel and his wife Kemberly, a Catholic school principal, reside in West Chester, Ohio, where they are members of St. John the Evangelist Church. They have three adult children, Ian, Kiera and Cormac.

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Catholic Meme Monday— Issue 183

/ chicoinematt

Hope you had a blessed Divine Mercy Sunday!🙏✝️

Time for another Catholic Meme Monday.

🪽🙂😄🙏
Happy Still Easter! 🙂✝️🙏
The papal draft. 🙂😄
RIP Pope Francis 🙏🙏🙏
😄😄😄
Love empty tomb humor! 🙂😄✝️
Love math + theology puns 🙂
He would unite all pizza fans under one topping— pepperoni. 😄🍕
From Doubting to Prodding Thomas. 😄
He would convert in less than a week. 🙂😄🙏
Clear the log from your eye before pointing out splinters in others. 🙏🙏🙏
Too punny not to share! 😄
Dude get hit by a cannonball and prays a lot afterwards.
I have my wife read my theological gems…most romantic thing ever. 🙂😄✍️

That’s all I have this week. Stay tuned for next week’s Catholic Meme Monday. Receive updates straight to your email inbox by subscribing to The Simple Catholic blog.

P.S. If you prefer receiving quality Catholic humor in daily doses follow me on Instagram @thesimplecatholic.

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The Simple Catholic Sunday Funnies: Episode 8

/ chicoinematt

Editor’s Note: The Simple Catholic Sunday Funnies This new weekly feature of wholesome and funny Catholic comics strips is presented by The Simple Catholic. Current contributors include Father Alvaro Comics, The Catholic Cartoonist, and Sam Estrada. Special shout-out to Fr. Michael DeBlanc for being our newest Catholic comic contributor!

Follow on Instagram: @the_catholic_cartoonist

Art from Father Michael DeBlanc:

You can follow Fr. Michael on Instagram: @patermichaeldeblanc and on Facebook Fr. Michael DeBlanc).

Find more of Sam’s work at prostrada.com!

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The Joy of the Perfect Umbrella

/ chicoinematt

Raindrops tap-tap-tapping on the windowpane this morn.
I glance outside at April skies gray and forlorn.
School day ahead, little feet will soon patter down the hall,
I search the closet corners, behind winter coats standing tall.

Where have all the umbrellas gone? A seasonal mystery.
One under the car seat, one borrowed by a friend—now history.
The colorful parade of last year’s shields, missing or broken,
Left behind at soccer games, school buses, unspoken.

The children wake, eyes bright despite the gloom outside.
“Will we need umbrellas?” they ask with sleepy-eyed pride.
I smile and nod, knowing my morning mission awaits,
To find these shelters from spring’s unpredictable gates.

In the basement corner, I discover a forgotten treasure,
My youngest’s umbrella, unicorns dancing across its measure.
A monster-eyed green parasol appears beneath a chair,
Watching me silently with its googly gaze, what a pair!

But one child remains without shield from heaven’s tears,
I grab my own large black umbrella, accumulated through years.
“Here,” I say, “take mine today, I’ll pull my hoodie up instead.”
The smile of gratitude warms me more than words that could be said.

As they march out the door, three bobbing canopies against the gray,
I witness childhood preserved dry beneath fabric on this wet spring day.
Yet umbrellas in their hands transform beyond mere shelter from rain,
Becoming magic wands and canes with powers hard to explain.

By afternoon the clouds have fled, umbrellas fold away,
Only to reappear as pillared roofs for forts where they play.
Little hands grip handles tight, jump from couches with a whoop!
Makeshift parachutes floating them down in a gleeful swoop.

I find myself lingering in store aisles with colorful displays,
New umbrellas catching my eye in delightful ways.
Such joy in choosing replacements for the broken and the lost,
A small investment in childhood wonder, worth any cost.

For in these simple tools, metal ribs and patterned cloth unfurled,
My children find both shelter and doorways to an imagined world.
The spring will bring its showers, predictable yet wild,
But I’ll keep seeking umbrellas for each beloved child.

© 2025 Matthew Chicoine

More Poems (if you you liked this one)

Unexpected Joys on a Summer Morn

Some Autumnal Afterthoughts: A Poem

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An 880 Word Interview with a Maronite Catholic and His Roman Catholic Wife

/ chicoinematt

Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Amanda and Anthony Sloan via phone call on March 31st, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

Tell your faith journey as a married couple. 

Amanda: On my first date, I learned that Anthony was Maronite Rite. He invited me to this liturgy. We opted to go to a Roman Rite for our marriage. We wanted to get married in a Maronite church but the priest was out of town the weekend we were going to get married. 

Anthony: Baptism is a separate Sacrament from Chrismation. Most kids receive both Sacraments from a young age. I am learning more and more about the Maronite Rite as an adult. For me, growing up my father was Roman Catholic and my mother was Maronite. Once I went to college and left the state, I went to a Roman Catholic liturgy due to there not being a close Maronite parish. About ten years ago I started receiving more access to the Maronite liturgy. And around four years later when we moved to South Carolina there was a Maronite church close by and my faith became alive in a way that was incredible.

Growing up my family would do a mix of the two liturgical calendars. So for when I got reacquainted with the Maronite Rite in the weeks leading up to Christmas we don’t have Advent. It’s the Season of Announcement.

Amanda: It’s six weeks long and the color is blue. Blue is related to Mary and you are traveling with her this season. 

Anthony: It’s like a journey with Mary. So many of the Maronite hymns and songs are connected to Mary. In these ancient hymns we hear her voice and see things through her eyes. 

Image from Wikipedia Commons.

Who are your favorite feast days and sacred art?

Anthony: Saint Charbel (Maronite). My favorite sacred art piece is “Saint Charbel” by Heart of IVSUS.


Amanda: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Roman), Commemoration of the Righteous and the Just (Maronite – its basically the equivalent of All Saints Day, but there is more emphasis on souls that haven’t necessarily been canonized yet). And my favorite sacred art is “Pentecost” by Jean Restout the Younger.

What’s another major difference between Roman and Maronite?

Amanda: Maronites have more Holy Days of Obligation. All of Holy Week is its own season. There’s more different liturgies during Holy Week, there’s a burial of Christ liturgy. 

Anthony: There’s a coffin that the congregation brings to the parish and roses are put into the coffin. If there’s a corpus to come off the crucifix or a crucifix is placed in the coffin. Usually four strong men from the parish carry the coffin around the church. There’s these songs of mourning. More of the hymns are in Arabic. In my opinion, one of the most powerful days is Good Friday.

And the “Holy Saturday” which in the Maronite tradition is referred to as the “Saturday of Light” there’s a ceremony that’s called the prayer of forgiveness and it celebrates the forgiveness won by the death of Jesus Christ. Parishioners are encouraged to go to confession ahead of time.

Wednesday of Job is the Wednesday of Holy Week. Since Job is a prefigurement of Christ, this day is a reminder that Christ willingly sacrificed himself for us like Job willingly suffered in the Old Testament.

What’s another difference between the two Rites in terms of structure?

Amanda: There are two eparchies in the United States. And these are like the equivalent of the diocese in the Roman Rite.


Are there particular feast days or celebrations that hold special significance in the Maronite?

Amanda: In terms of feasts, Saint Maron is a major feast on March 9. 

Anthony: Probably the Season of the Glorious Birth of Our Lord.”

Amanda: Maronites are passionate about the names of their seasons There’s no Ordinary Time. And even with Lent it is called “Great Lent”. 

Anthony: Which is interesting because in the Latin Rite, Ordinary Time is such a long period of time.

What challenges have you encountered as an inter-ritual family?

Amanda: I think when we moved here the transition to the Maronite liturgy was tougher because it was a bit longer than the Roman Rite. And the order of the liturgy is different.

Anthony: And on the flip, there’s a lot more music to the (Maronite) liturgy. There’s not a lot of variance with the patterns, but it has a depth. Even our two-year old was able to pick up on the hymns and sing at home. Our bishop mentioned in a homily that much of the Maronite hymns were written for a farming community. They were designed to be prayed/sung during the movement of the day and your work. 

Amanda: And the tune is the same each week although the words of the hymns change each week.

How has being inter-rite enhanced your understanding of the universal Church?

Anthony: I love that our Church is so diverse. There’s so much beauty that while there’s different liturgies that we all adhere to the same core truths. 

You experience that the same words/language Christ used at the Last Supper is the same in both rites. There’s so much depth to our Catholic Church and our faith! 

Amanda: I would say that a broadening of understanding of liturgy occurred. Being able to experience the other lung of the Church as Pope Benedict XVI referred to it was so beautiful. There’s so many beautiful expressions of our faith we miss if we only see things one way. There’s a richness to our Catholic faith. 

About Amanda and Anthony:

Amanda is a wife and mother to four daughters, and two more souls in Heaven. Channeling her years in parish ministry as well as her background in theology, Amanda is the Owner and Creative Director of Worthy of Agape, a Catholic business that aims to encourage families to become Saints together! 

Anthony is a Maronite Catholic as well as a FOCUS Missionary. After moving to various campuses around the country, Anthony and his family now call South Carolina home, where they’ve been able to dive deeper into their Maronite roots. Anthony enjoys tending to their family chickens as well as spending time exploring with his wife and daughters.

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