Katy sends this also, which is also from the Art of ST John Cantius (see the post below).
Thank you, Katy! The Pelican is Beautiful!
Thank you, Katy! The Pelican is Beautiful!
One of the more striking symbols of Christ, Whose blood was shed on the Cross is and is still given to the faithful in the Eucharist to nourish us. As a Christian symbol, it derives from the legendary belief that the mother pelican would nourish her growing offspring by piercing her own breast and feeding them with her blood. This image is also recorded in the Latin Eucharistic hymn of St. Thomas Aquinas, Adoro Te Devote, where Jesus is called “pie pellicane, Iesu Domine” (O holy Pelican, Lord Jesus).