Sterling silver communion host pyx with the engraved monogram IHS used by a US Army chaplain
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Width: 1.875 inches (4.763 cm) | Depth: 1.625 inches (4.128 cm)
Creator(s)
- Edward C. Henry (Subject)
Biographical History
Edward C. Henry was born in 1912 in Trenton, New Jersey, the youngest of 10 children. He graduated from Our Lady of Angels Seminary at Niagara University in New York. He was ordained to the priesthood on March 13, 1937. He enlisted in the United States Army and served as a chaplain in Texas, England, and France. On August 25, 1944, Father Henry and his regiment assisted in the liberation of Paris soon after the landings in Normandy that June. In reflecting upon his service as an army chaplain, he noted that "it was hard to get used to," as soldiers "half alive would come in and you try to ease their last moments." He was one of the first American priests to say mass at the Cathedral of Notre Dame post liberation. Father Henry traveled throughout France, performing last rites, saying mass, and administering communion to the troops. After the war, he returned to New Jersey and led three congregations prior to retiring in 1970. He died in 1999, age 87 years old.
Archival History
The pyx was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2010 by John Grasser and Linda Layton, on behalf of the Estate of Edward Henry.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Estate of Edward Henry
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Sterling silver altar bread host engraved IHS, a monogram for the name of Jesus Christ (Iesous Christos), used by Father Edward Henry, a chaplain in the United States Army in Europe during World War II. A pyx is a vessel used to transport consecrated communion host. As a Catholic priest, he carried a portable Mass kit to administer last rites, to offer communion, and to perform mass for the troops. Father Henry and his unit took part in the liberation of Paris on August 25, 1944. He was one of the first American priests to hold mass in the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris after liberation.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Circular silver metal communion host container. The hinged lid has a raised, rope border design. The center lid exterior has engraved text over a patterned background encircled by wavy lines. Triangular and circular tabs are soldered to the top edge of the lid at the 12 and 1 o’clock positions. A rectangular stem with a curved top and straight sided bow engraved with a curvilinear design is attached to the back. A circular, flat topped crown with vertical grooves is soldered to the top of the concave base. To open, the crown is pushed down and the tabs are pulled forward. The interior is gold plated.
lid, top, ornate script, engraved : IHS [monogram for Ieosus Christos, Jesus Christ]
Corporate Bodies
- United States. Army
Subjects
- Military chaplains--United States.
- Chaplains
- Priests--United States.
- World War, 1939-1945--Military chaplains--Europe.
Genre
- Christian Art and Symbolism
- Object