Catholic Religious Jewelry

Catholic jewelry has a long and rich history. It has taken on many forms and many meanings over the millennia. From the hidden meanings of anchors and Ichthys, to the development of the crucifix in the 5th century A.D., Catholic jewelry has played a large part in the faith of millions. The cross is one of the earliest and most widely recognized Christian symbols. The use of the cross as a Christian symbol starts with Christ Himself. Since, through His death, Christ sanctified the very implement of His torture, the cross has come to signify His victory over death and sin.

Early Catholic Jewelry
While the cross has always been the most important Christian symbol, it was not openly used as such until the 4th century A.D. Early Christians feared persecution for their faith, and so developed several symbols that were not easily recognized as Catholic jewelry in order to recognize each other. The two most prevalent of these symbols were the anchor and the Ichthys. The Ichthys, two intersecting arcs resembling the profile of a fish, was probably used in Catholic jewelry as a reference to Christ as “the fisher of men”. The anchor, or mariners cross, was used in Catholic jewelry as a symbol of hope based in the faith in Christ. By using these forms of Catholic jewelry early Christians were able to avoid persecution.

The cross did not become openly used in Catholic religious jewelry until around the 3rd century A.D., when the emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of Rome. Since then the cross has become the most significant of Christian symbols, and has been widely used in art and Catholic religious jewelry.

The Cross and The Crucifix
It was not until the Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in the 4th century A.D. that the cross became openly and widely used in Catholic jewelry. More than fifty variants of the cross would later develop, but the four most important were: The Latin Cross, The Greek Cross, The Tau Cross & The Saint Andrews Cross.

The Latin cross is a cross with a long vertical bar intersected slightly above center by a shorter horizontal bar. The Latin cross with the body of Christ, or crucifix, is used by the Catholic Church as a representation of Christ’s sacrifice, while the Latin cross left blank is used by the Protestants as a representation of Christ’s resurrection; The Greek cross, a cross with equilateral arms; The Tau cross, a cross in the shape of the letter T and The Saint Andrews cross, a cross shaped like the letter X. The crucifix, a Latin cross with the body of Christ (corpus) and the inscription INRI or “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” upon it, did not become prevalent in Catholic jewelry until the 5th century A.D. Whereas the Protestant churches use a Latin cross left blank to symbolize the Resurrection, the Catholic Church uses the crucifix to symbolize the sacrifice of Jesus.

Catholic Charities & Catholic Medals

Traditionally, a charitable trust is any kind of a private, non-profit, philanthropic, human health and welfare organization. They are mostly found in the fields of education, religion, health, wealth, government or any other areas that benefit communities. Nonprofit organizations work for the benefit of human welfare, and do not make a personal profit.

Catholic charities are charitable trusts run mainly by the Catholic church. These charities work to improve the living conditions of the poor people. Needy people are treated with equal love and care, irrespective of their religion, sex, age, race, color, or origin. These charities try to provide steady employment with good wages for people who need the jobs. They try to protect the people from racial discriminations and prejudices. Since these issues have an intergenerational impact, Catholic charities try to protect the families across the age groups.

Catholic charities usually depend on donations from affluent citizens. This money is used to provide a better life to the poor and the needy of the country. Catholic charities try and ensure that all people in the community are cared for. They do the best they can with the income that they get through donations. Catholic charities strive to unite and mobilize a growing number of Catholic institutions, individuals and persons of good faith. Their goal is to maximize the church's influence on issues of poverty, drug abuse, unemployment and women and child welfare. Most Catholic charities are affiliated with Catholic Charities USA, the largest private human service network in the United States.

Medals are metal emblems representing a particular feature. Archeologists substantiate that the medals were used during the ancient periods in history. Catholic medals are used to symbolize the faith and devotion to God. They are the medals which represent unique beliefs and practices of the Catholics. The medals have gained much popularity among both Catholics and non-Catholics. However, the medals do not advocate any superstitions. The Catholic teaching preaches that the medals have no inbuilt magical power but instead it only inspires the need of devotion.

Catholic medals are generally used to remind the divinity of God. The medals include several categories according to the purpose of their use. Some medals are just souvenirs, which include memorial of certain persons, important events, places, etc.

The various categories of the medals can be stated as follows: Jubilee medals, papal medals, special occasion medals, etc. are included in the commemorative medals. Certain medals are expressions of religious prayers for blessings and protection. This group includes Jesus Christ medals, Virgin Mary medals, Eucharistic medals, etc. Patron saint medals are another category of catholic medals which characterize saints, the mediators for communication with God. Some other medals feature biblical events. The angel medals and crucifixes are also included as Catholic medals.

These medals may be used as religious jewelry. These valuable possessions can be pendants on chains worn around the necks or pinned to the dress. Most of the believers give an important position to the medals in their home, vehicle or office since the medals are a sign of God. They are considered as suitable gift choices which bring good luck and for adding to a collection. The value of a Catholic medal increases with age. Vintage medals are very costly.

Catholic Pilgrimages

A pilgrimage is any religiously motivated trip to some site which is regarded as sacred or otherwise religiously significant. Common sites for pilgrimages are those associated with saints, their relics, or other important religious figures. The term "pilgrimage" comes from the Latin peregrinus, which means "foreigner."

Catholic Pilgrimages were first made to sites connected with the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers like Saint Jerome. Pilgrimages also began to be made to Rome and other sites associated with the Apostles, Saints and Christian martyrs, as well as to places where there have been apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

The second largest single pilgrimage in the history of Christendom was to the Funeral of Pope John Paul II after his death on April 2, 2005. An estimated four million people traveled to Vatican City, in addition to the almost three million people already living in Rome, to see the body of Pope John Paul II lie in state.

World Youth Day is a major Catholic Pilgrimage, specifically for people aged 16-35. It is held internationally every 2-3 years. In 2005, young Catholics visited Cologne, Germany. In 1995, the largest gathering of all time was to World Youth Day in Manila, Philippines, where four million people from all over the world attended.

The major Catholic pilgrimages are to:

• The Holy Land, location of many events in the Old Testament and New Testament:
• Jerusalem, site of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus.
• Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus and King David.
• Nazareth, hometown of Jesus.
  
• Rome on roads such as the Via Francigena. Site of the deaths of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and other early martyrs.


• Lourdes, France. Apparition of the Virgin Mary. The second most visited Christian pilgrimage site after Rome.


• Istanbul, Turkey, Former capital of the Byzantine Empire and the see of one of the five ancient Patriarchates.

Pilgrimages

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Unitours is an international tour operator in continuous operation and under the same management since 1957. Headquartered in Purchase, NY, USA. We maintain our offices and staffs in Tel Aviv; Lucerne; London; Athens; plus a large experienced staff in the United States.

As specialist in Christian group travel, we are uniquely qualified to provide you and your group with a wonderful pilgrimage to Europe and the Middle East.

Catholic Life

Catholic life

The word "catholic" without its religious context, means universal, concerning all humanity, free from prejudice, liberal. According to this definition, I am definitely catholic.

It is proven that Catholics are true follower of Jesus. They follow all teaching lesion of Jesus They seek forgiveness of their sins and follow the example and teaching of Jesus. They believe that Jesus has provided seven sacraments which give Grace from God to the believer.

If a person dies in unrepeated mortal sin, It means he loses god’s promise and deserve to Hell. But if follower regrets his seen and bad action and scarify for that before a death then he find purification and get Heaven.

Catholic believe that god always take care for entire world. Catholics always take part in church through prayers and doing spiritual disciplines such as fasting and pilgrimage.

Catholic differentiates prayers in four different way.
1) Adoration,
2) Thanksgiving,
3) Contrition,
4) Supplication
Catholic believes that Prayer for everyone, even for enemies and persecutors is a Christian duty. Mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary is also considered to be the spiritual mother of all Catholics.