Saint John's Cathedral

Cathedral of St. John the Divine Antigua

The Sanctuary in the Cathedral Church in situated at the far eastern end of the Church building.  The main features include the three stained-glass windows and the High Altar.  On both the northern and southern sides of the Sanctuary are a set of Sanctuary furniture that include chairs and prayer tables

, at which will be seated the  Officiating priest and servers at various times during the service.  On the northern side is found the seat of the Bishop.  For many years in the past the Bishop's throne (or Cathedra) was covered by a cupola.  The main entrance to the Sanctuary is via the chancel steps at the head of the centre aisle.  At the top of the steps are a carved mahogany Altar rail at which the communicants kneel to receive Holy Communion.

The High Altar

The magnificent High Altar, made of mahogany, was presented to the Cathedral in 1926 in memory of Robert William McDonald, a former Chancellor of the Diocese and a member of the St. John's Vestry, by his widow and the members of the St. John's Church Society.  On the front of the Altar are six round medallions, each one containing a symbol set against a gold background.  Reading from left to right, these symbols are as follows:

1. A Chalice with a poisonous snake over it, a symbol of St. John the Evangelist.

2. A Pelican feeding its young by pecking its breast till the blood flows, a symbol of Our Lord feeding His people with the Blessed Sacrament.

3. The Lamb of God with the flag of victory, a symbol of the Resurrection.

4. The letter "M" surmounted with a crown, a reminder that the Blessed Virgin Mary is Queen of Heaven.

5. A Phoenix, a symbol of the Church of Christ which is ever being renewed, like the fable of the phoenix which is constantly renewed in the flames of fire.

6. The Lamb of God, being slain and sacrificed from the foundation of the world, a symbol of the preaching of St. John the Baptist who proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God.

The East Windows

There are three Stained-Glass Windows over the High Altar in the Sanctuary.  The central east rose window portrays in coloured glass the scene of the crucifixion of Our Lord with the Blessed Mary on one side and the Apostle St. John the Divine on the other.  When Jesus commended his mother, the Blessed  Mary to care for the "beloved disciple", St. John the Divine, in the words recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 19 verse 26 and also inscribed here: "Woman, behold your son".  Underneath it is the following inscription:

On the window to the north are the Arms of the Diocese, whilst on the window to the south the Arms of the Diocese are impaled with those of the first Bishop.

The Arms of the Diocese can also be seen on the Tapestry worked by Lady Baker, (a Mothers' Union worker in England who has visited the Island several times), which hangs in the vicinity of the Bishop's Throne.  Officially, the Arms of the Diocese are described as follows:

Above the crest is a Mitre.

This is full of significance.  The Mitre indicates that it is a Coat of Arms of a Diocese.  The Crown signifies that the Diocese was created by Letters Patent from the ruling Monarch.  The Pastoral Staff speaks of the duty of the Bishop of the Diocese to rule his flock like a shepherd.  The Key indicates his power of absolving and loosing which Our Lord bestowed on his Apostles.  The Church declares the Church's Mission to proclaim the Gospel of Eternal Redemption through the preaching of the Cross.  The Serpent and the Dove remind us of Our Lord's words " Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves".  But there may be another and deeper meaning to these last two emblems.  The Serpent is often used as a symbol of sin, wickedness and even for the devil.  The Dove, it must be observed, has in its mouth a green olive leaf.  This may well be, therefore, a reference to the dove that Noah sent forth from the Ark and which returned to him with an olive leaf in its mouth as a sign that the Flood was over and that Peace had been restored between man and God.

If this interpretation is accepted, the bottom part of the Arms teaches by three symbols that the world under the power of sin and evil, through the influence of the devil, was enlightened and redeemed by the preaching of the Cross of Christ and the Precious Blood which He shed - signified by the Cross being coloured red - with the result that peace and harmony were restored to the world as signified by the Dove with the olive branch of peace in its mouth.

It is, therefore, the duty of the Church, its Clergy and people to help to destroy the power of evil and to establish a reign of true peace in the world by preaching the Gospel.

There is a further possible explanation that the olive leaf may be a reminder that the name of the ship which brought the first Anglican Ministers to the Island in 1677 was the Olive Branch.

Between the three stained glass windows are two window-shaped spaces of finished mahogany.  The space to the north of the crucifixion window holds the words of the Lord's Prayer and ..... painted in gold.  To the south of the crucifixion window are the Ten Commandments, also painted in gold.