Similar to the main altar, the ambo (used for proclamation of the readings, Responsorial Psalm, and Exultet; as well as for the Homily and announcing intentions of the Universal Prayer) is guarded by two angels and retains the original brickwork of the church.
On the wall behind the ambo is a Crucifix, with the corpus showing the Crown of Thorns as well as the Five Holy Wounds (nails through hands and feet, plus the chest pierced by a soldier’s lance). The initials at the top of the cross (INRI) represent the Latin inscription Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazarene, King of the Jews). The hands of Christ are arranged to bestow a blessing.
To the right of the ambo is a statue of the Blessed Mother wearing a crown of twelve stars and holding a scepter in her right hand, both denoting the Queenship of Mary (August 21). She wears a blue mantle, a color associated with icons and statues of Mary as far back as 500 A.D. In her left hand she holds the infant Jesus as Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World), as indicated by his holding of the Globus Cruciger (cross-bearing orb), a Christian symbol of authority since the Middle Ages. His right hand offers the same blessing as that found on the Crucifix behind. Votive candles are available to light for personal intentions.