St. Ambrose

To the left as one faces the altar there is a side-chapel in which parishioners often stop to say a prayer after communion. The prayers can be about anything--gratitude, repentance, a plea for help--but most often they are to remember loved ones.

Votive candles have been placed next to the kneeler and are lit one at a time by each supplicant. The light can symbolize Jesus, who is the Light who entered the world, or the soul of a loved one.

At eye level is a portrait of Ambrose, the 4th-century saint for whom our church is named. St. Ambrose was the bishop of Milan and his speeches influenced the thinking of St. Augustine, who was 25 years his junior. Ambrose is credited with the saying, "When in Rome do as the Romans do."

Ambrose is not as famous as the saints mentioned in the Bible, nor is he in the top tier of post-Biblical saints (Francis, Augustine). But he did lead a virtuous life and forsook personal riches to help the poor. The founders of our church chose its name wisely.