20 + C + M + B + 08 - What Does this Mean???

This inscription is a custom in homes of many countries, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Sweden.  The inscription is made every year on January 6th, which is the Feast of the Epiphany.  This Feast marks the beginning of the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Incarnate God in three ways:  the appearance of the Magi, led by the star to the birth place of Jesus, the voice of God which speaks of Jesus as His own Son when He is Baptized, and the first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana, when Jesus changes the water into wine.

By tradition, the names of the three Magi were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.  The inscription, in one interpretation, takes the first initial of their names and intersperses them with the cross.  The first and last numbers indicate the calendar year.

More accurately, however, the letters of the inscription originate from the latin phrase "Christus Mansen Benedicat" or "May Christ bless this home".  This religious custom expresses the belief that the Lord remains with us, His people, throughout the year, and that the Revelation of His presence is made to those who believe.

In this Parish, Fr. Michael blesses chalk on the Feast of the Epiphany each year and marks the entranceways of our Church with it.  Parishioners are invited to take pieces of the blessed chalk home to mark a similar inscription on the doorways of their homes.  It invokes our faith in the presense of the Saviour in our lives, and asks God's continued blessing upon all who dwell in our homes and pass through its doorways.