St. Peter's Coat-Of-Arms
The stained glass window pictured above hangs in the narthex of our church. It is the traditional design of the shield or coat-of-arms of the Apostle Peter, the disciple of commitment and faith, after whom this church is named.
They crossed keys on the shield are a reminder of the words recorded in Matthew 16:13-20 ...
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.".
The inverted cross comes from a tradition concerning the death of Peter. The early church father Lactantius wrote that Peter was put to death during the reign of the infamous Roman Emperor Nero. Lactantius also wrote that on the day before Peter was to be put to death by crucifixion, he begged his executioners to crucify him upside-down. He explained to them that he considered himself unworthy of the honor of dying in the same position as his Lord and Savior.