Thanks for your question; many Christians might wonder the same thing as they scan their own churches!

Although a mythological figure, the phoenix has been utilized in Christian art through the centuries. Interpreters vary on the precise meaning of the phoenix in Christian expression, but probably it suggested both rebirth and resurrection in Christ. (The phoenix supposedly rose from the ashes to new life). This symbolism reminds us of St. Paul's comforting words in I Corinthians 15:51-58: words not of myth, but from the very mouth of the Living God, who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and thereby assures us of our life in him.