The Altar

The Altar

On entering a Catholic church the eye is directed towards the high altar in the sanctuary. It is the most important symbol of Christ in the church, and is marked out by its dignity and position in the sanctuary. As its name implies, it is the place of sacrifice, where the death of the Lord is made present in the sacred mysteries during the celebration of the Mass.

At the Holy Name the altar is particularly  prominent; although it uses the architectural style of 14th century France, it is a counter-Reformation church in its design, with a sanctuary where the sacred action can be seen clearly. Accordingly, the altar is visible as the focus point from the back of the church, where the sightlines meet:

and from within the sanctuary itself, where it dominates the sacred space, lifted from the nave by nine steps. From this position everyone in the church has a clear view of the ceremonies.

The altar is made of stone and cannot be moved, on its top five crosses are cut, the relics of the martyrs are placed within it, it is consecrated by a bishop with holy oil and incense, and it is dressed with white cloths and rich material. All these things are to show that this is the symbol of Christ in our midst; the centre and high point of all our worship of God, dressed the glory of heaven, yet still with the marks of the cross carved in his flesh.

Thus the altar is the point at which heaven and earth combine; at this place we offer our prayers of behalf of the world to the Father, and at this place his blessings are bestowed upon the world through us. This happens particularly within the drama of the sacred liturgy, but not merely so. The altar is always the symbol of Christ in the church, and always remains dressed as such, with a deep bow made towards it when we pass (or a genuflection if the Blessed Sacrament is reserved there). To show this symbolic , living presence a red light burns before each altar (a white light designates the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and a blue light that an altar is dedicated to the holy Mother of God). And so at the various altars in a church, dedicated to various mysteries or saints, our devotions are shaped by our encounter. At the Holy Name it is appropriate to pray for the dead at the Holy Souls altar,  and for the dying at that dedicated to St Jospeh. At the Sacred Heart altar we find the focus on the love of God for sinful humanity, and at those altars dedicated to the Mother of God, we find her maternal consolation.

During the times of persecutions, altars were made of wood and were portable (the most significant of these remains at St John Lateran). The holy mysteries were celebrated over the tombs of the martyrs, as decreed by Pope St Felix I (d.274), who had shed their blood for the faith of Christ, and so are the closest in resembling the Lord. With the coming of peace to the Church it was decreed by Pope St Sylvester (314-335) that only stone altars were to be consecrated and used.

During the course of the celebration of the Mass, the priest will kiss the altar, as the symbol of Christ. It is hallowed with incense near the beginning of the rite and at the offertory when the bread and wine are placed upon it. On Holy Thursday, at the conclusion of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper the altar is stripped of cloths and ornaments, as the choir sing the mournful chant of Psalm 21, “Deus meus, Deus meus, respice in me: quare me dereliquisti…” (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me…”).

This ceremony signifies the suspension of the holy sacrifice, until the daily offering can be again presented at the Paschal vigil. The Lord is about to be stripped of his garments and displayed naked before the world on the cross. An air of desolation pervades the sanctuary, as the tabernacle stands empty above the naked altar, which now exposes its five wounds (the five crosses cut into the stone) to the world. The sacred host has been removed to the altar of repose, where it awaits in the garden of Gethsemani for the coming of Judas and the soldiers in the middle of the night.

The High Altar of the Holy Name was consecrated on 25th September 1886 by the Bishop of Salford, Dr Herbert Vaughan. At the same time the altar of the Sacred Heart chapel was consecrated by the Bishop of Nottingham (Edward Bagshawe, Cong Orat), and that of the Holy Souls chapel by the Bishop of Northampton (Arthur Riddell). The altar in the chapel of Our Lady della Strada was consecrated by Bishop Henry Hanlon, MHM, Titular Bishop of Teos and Vicar Apostolic of the Upper Nile (Uganda) at the same time as the consecration of the church on 6th June 1923.