Progress Report: New Altar

St. Michael's – July 6, 2022 1 Comment

The excitement is building as we continue to see progress on the sanctuary furnishings!

What is a church altar?

As it’s explained on Catholic Answers, the altar is “the focal point of the church building. It is the material expression of the Church’s worship. The church building is literally built around and over the altar. When a large church or cathedral was built, it was always the sanctuary that went up first.” It is the symbol of where God meets man, God’s presence, our focal point during mass.

A message from Fr. Michael

Thanks be to God, we are making great progress with the new, marble sanctuary appointments. While construction continues, I’d like to take the opportunity to share more about the significance of various details you may notice or wonder about. The first thing is the location of the ambo (the proper name for what is often called the pulpit) – it has returned to where it was in the original design of our church. This is also the correct side liturgically for a parish church. While there were some practical advantages to our ambo being on the same side as the choir, it didn’t seem wise to set it in stone on the liturgically incorrect side. 

As for the altar, all but the topmost piece is in place. This top piece is called the mensa (from Latin for table) and is the part that will be consecrated with oil when the bishop comes on August 9th. We had shared our hope to keep and reuse the mensa from the original altar. Unfortunately, it cracked while being removed, which we knew was a possibility. Happily, we will be able to make new use of it as it will be reworked into four small tables for use the church. This will be a nice way of retaining that connection to our history even though it cannot be used for the altar itself. 

In keeping with an ancient practice, we are very blessed to have a significant number of relics that will be placed in the altar out of reverence for the saints and asking their intercession for our parish. The relics will be of St. Maria Goretti, St. Philip Neri, St. Bernadette, St. Catharine Laboure, St. Anne (the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary), St. Francis and St. Claire of Assisi, Pope St. Pius X, and portions of the Veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the cloak of St. Joseph. These relics will be placed in an opening in the back of the altar during the Mass of Consecration and will be closed in by a bronze plaque that lists all the relics. 

Please plan to join us for Mass with Bishop Zarama on August 9th at 6:30pm followed by a reception as we celebrate this milestone in our parish life and important moment in our Renew, Refresh, Refocus, and Celebrate! 25th Anniversary Year. 

What are the details about the new altar and other furnishings at St. Michael? 

The sanctuary furnishings of the ambo, altar, reredos, and tabernacle surround, were designed by O’Brien & Keane Architecture of Arlington, VA.  In addition to designing our baptismal font, O’Brien & Keane has also worked extensively within the Diocese having designed Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Luke the Evangelist.

We have been blessed not only with a talented design-team, but also with true craftsman in their trade, Rugo Stone of Lorton, VA.  Rugo Stone has completed projects all over the world, including several projects at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, DC.

The furnishings draw from key design elements from the baptismal font – in both form and finish.  By utilizing similar design elements and finishes, the eye is drawn from the baptismal font, forward, to the sanctuary.

The altar is comprised of three different Italian marbles.  The primary marble used is Carrara.  Carrara is one of the most well-known and popular marbles and is recognized for its white background and subtle, cool, gray veining.

The columns, a design element drawn from the font, are carved from a marble named Rosso Levanto which is known for its striking, rich tones of black, red, and brown that are highlighted by white veining.

The front of the altar is constructed from an in-lay of Fior Di Pesco Carnico which has been installed in a style called book-matching.  Fior Di Pesco Carnico is classical stone known for its muted, warm, gray, and taupe undertones that are highlighted by hints of rose and pearl white.  This stone was selected to bridge the gap between the bright white of the Carrara, and the deeply hued Rosso Levanto.  The installation method of book matching is a technique used where two or more slabs of stone are sliced and then opened, like pages of a book—like an ink blot test.  The result is a truly stunning effect that highlights the natural beauty of the stone and showcases the craftsmanship of the stone masons.  It is most often reserved for areas of great significance – such as the altar of sacrifice.

And now for the recent photographs – ENJOY!