Our Churches

Saint Raphael the Archangel Parish was formed out of a merger of three parishes on January 4, 2021. The three churches of our parish bring with them the rich faith history of those parishes. Find out more in the links to the side or bottom of this page.

Our parish coat of arms is full of symbolism. The design is simple and meant to be easily recognizable, both at a distance and in small resolution. In formal heraldic language, it would be described as Vert, above two fish hauriant respectant and a fish contourné in base Argent, a Greek cross enclosed within an annulet Or. In plain English, it is a green shield with three upwards-facing silver fish beneath a golden ringed cross.

The fish is a common symbol of Saint Raphael. This connection comes from the Book of Tobit, where the angel, in the guise of a human being, guides the pious young Tobiah on a journey. While bathing in a river, Tobiah is attacked by a large fish. Raphael orders him to catch the fish, and Tobiah works many wonders with it — using its gall to drive out demons and to heal the blindness of his father, Tobit.

Generally speaking, fish have a long and rich history in Christian art and symbolism. Early Christians used to identify each other in the days of persecution by drawing a primitive fish — for ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthys), “fish” in Greek, is an anagram for Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter: “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Savior.” Fish are also a natural symbol of baptism, as the Church Father Tertullian writes: “we, little fishes, after the example of our ΙΧΘΥΣ, Jesus Christ, are born in water” (On Baptism, 1).

On the shield there are three fish — three, for the Holy Trinity, into whose life we are incorporated by baptism, and three for our three parent parishes of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Margaret of Scotland, and Ss. Simon and Jude.

The second symbol of the coat of arms is the ringed cross. This cross resembles a Eucharistic Host, pared crosswise and ready to be broken and shared (see Acts 2:42). Taken together with the three fish, this becomes a symbol of the Eucharist, as prefigured in the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes. As a parish community, we find the “source and summit” of our Christian lives in the celebration of the Eucharist (Lumen Gentium, 11).

Finally, the green color of the shield is a symbol for life, growth, and hope. It is the liturgical color of Ordinary Time, during which we reflect on the day-to-day call of discipleship. As we find strength and healing in the sacraments, we rely on God’s providence and the intercession of our heavenly patron, Saint Raphael, as together we journey to the ultimate goal of our earthly pilgrimage: eternal happiness and resurrection in the life of the world to come.