You may have noticed our Altar Cloth - IHS is a Christogram - a combination of letters that represent the holy name "Jesus." Early scribes would abbreviate the sacred names of Jesus by using the first two letters of the name, or the first and last letters, with a line over the letters.
St. Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444) and his student St. John of Capistrano (1386-1456) used the Christogram IHS to promote devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. In their preaching missions throughout Italy, they carried wooden placards with the IHS surrounded by rays. St. Bernardine and St. John blessed the faithful with this monogram, invoking the name of Jesus, and many miracles were reported. They also encouraged people to have the monogram placed over the city gates and the doorways of their homes, instead of a family crest, to show their devotion and allegiance to the Lord.