Christograms: Catholic religious symbols and their meaning

A crucifix (from Latin cruci fixus meaning "one fixed to a cross") is an image of Jesus nailed to the cross, often with the inscription INRI.  It is a powerful symbol of the ultimate sacrifice of God made man dying for our sins more importantly his resurrection signifying conquering death and giving us eternal life. By making the Sign of the Cross while saying the prayer "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen", Catholics profess the deepest mysteries of the Faith: the Holy Trinity —Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and the redemptive sacrifice of Christ who died on the Cross so that mankind can be redeemed.

The Lord’s Last Supper is symbolized by a chalice of wine with the bread rising above it. The Bread and Wine represent Jesus' commandment to his followers to remember Him by eating bread (his body) and drinking wine (his blood) until He returned.  "...When He had given thanks, He broke [the bread] and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same manner He also took the cup [of wine] after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me'" (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Jesus stated, “I am the Bread of Life.”

The Greek name Iesous for Jesus often written as 'ΙΗΣΟΥΣ', gives us iota-eta-sigma, or ΙΗΣ, constituting the most common Christogram IHS, which is sometimes interpreted in Latin to mean Iesus Hominum Salvator (“Jesus, Savior of mankind”)

The Chi-Rho are the first two letters of the Greek word "Xpistos" for Christ and so when put together represent “Jesus.” Placing a circle around it symbolises the eternal nature of the Son of Man. It is said that Roman Emperor Constantine (A.D. 306–337) saw this symbol in the sky before a decisive battle that resulted in him becoming the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, when he heard the message, "By this sign, conquer." Thus, he adopted the symbol for his army.

Alpha and Omega : “I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev 22:13) Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last one. Putting the two together, they represent the eternity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

INRI carved into the wood of the cross are short for the Latin phrase, Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum, which translates to "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."  These were the words which Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, ordered to have written on the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.

Ichthys (ikh-thoos) is the Greek word for fish, that has rich significance not only among the Apostles who were "fishers of men" but also featured in the miracle of the "2 fish and 5 loaves". Ichthys is also an acrostic for the Greek phrase “Iēsous Christos Theou Hyios Sōtēr,” which means “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” Being a Christian was extremely dangerous for hundreds of years following the life of Jesus due to the persecutions by pagan Roman Emperors. The Fish was chosen as an early secret symbol indicating that the person was a Christian believer and safe to associate with.

The Lamb symbol represents Jesus Christ. Agnus Dei in Latin means the “Lamb of God”. Jesus Christ is called the Lamb of God as the ultimate sacrifice for redemption of mankind. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29)". Christ is our Shepherd and Peter was told to feed His sheep.

Dove is a symbol of the Holy Ghost and used especially in representations of our Lord's Baptism in the river Jordan and the Transfiguration on the Mount.  Tongues of fire: Is another symbol of the Holy Spirit as in the Pentecost

Rosary means a chain of roses and the roses are prayers. The rosary is a string of beads used in counting prayers to Our Lady.