Transcript RCIA Class 11 – The Tour of the Church Today’s topics! • The Tour of the Church. • First, we will start talking about.

RCIA Class 11 –
The Tour of the
Church
Today’s topics!
• The Tour of the Church.
• First, we will start talking about church architecture,
• Then we’ll move upstairs into the church after break and talk
about the different things that we see at church,
• Altar
• Candles
• Books
• Incense
• Vestments
• Sacred vessels
• And the various things we use in the church throughout the
year and why we use them.
What is the Church?
The word Church
Comes from a Greek word “ekklesia.”’
Comes from a Latin word, “ecclesia,”
These words mean
“those that are called together,”
“those that are assembled together.”
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When were the 1 Churches
established?
• If we were to open our Bibles to the Acts of the
Apostles, we would see that the apostles traveled from
church to church shortly after the time of Jesus’ death,
resurrection, and ascension.
• The church building as we know it today – probably came
in the first couple of hundred years.
• As we discussed in a few classes earlier, the Christians
in the early church were persecuted and Christianity
was not legalized until the year 315 under Constantine.
What about the first churches?
• The first churches were built in the early days of Christianity,
probably in the first couple of hundred years.
• There was persecution of the Christian Church under the
emperors, such as Nero, Decius, and Diocletian.
• The first churches began to be built under Constantine about
the year 315.
• Before that, the people were meeting in peoples’ homes for
services.
• In the first 300 years, they were also meeting in the
catacombs, the underground tunnels underneath the city
of Rome.
• Churches eventually began to be built. Most of them were in the
center of towns
Then and Now
• If you go to Europe today, and you want to find where the
church is, just go to city center.
• Usually they have steeples or bell towers, because in those
days, that was the easiest way for people to see the churches at
a distance.
• Back then the Church was the very center of a person’s
whole life.
• Nowadays, in America, the shopping mall might be the
center, or some other place;
• In the early years, everything was centered around the
cathedral, or the basilica, or the churches in Europe.
• That was always the largest building in town.
The Cruciform
• The shape of most of the ancient churches was
in the “cruciform” shape, or the shape of the
Cross.
• What’s interesting about the cruciform shape is
that it actually reminds us of the Body of Christ.
• Some Churches today are built in this
traditional way
Cruciform Architecture!
What do we see in churches?
• In the Cruciform Churches design what you would find is
the tabernacle would be at the center.
• The tabernacle is the most important thing you’ll see in
a Catholic Church.
• Even the Jews in the Old Testament had the
tabernacle, or a tent, a dwelling place.
• The tabernacles were set up by the People of God as
they traveled throughout the desert.
• They said that God dwelt in a special way in His
tabernacles.
• The tabernacles would be like little meeting tents, and
that’s where they would have worship of God.
Tabernacle –
the home of Jesus
Today we call our central focus, the tabernacle, usually
referred to as the gold box at the center behind the altar,
You’ll see this in every Catholic Church, usually they’re
right in the center of the church.
Some places will put them on the side, but usually they’re
in the center.
Before we leave today, we’ll have all of us go up and get a
sneak peak tour of the tabernacle.
The tabernacle is where the Lord is present, Our Lord Jesus
Christ in the Holy Eucharist. You can always tell that the Lord
is present, because there will be a candle lit. It’s called the
sanctuary lamp.
What is the sanctuary?
• The word sanctuary comes from a Latin word
sanctus, meaning “holy.”
• The holiest place in the Catholic Church, or
any church for that matter, would be the
area called the sanctuary.
What do we find in the
sanctuary?
• The altar would be located in the sanctuary,
• An altar is where the sacrifice is offered.
• In the Catholic Church, the altar is the table
on which the sacrifice of the Mass is offered.
• On the altar, one or more relics of martyrs are
commonly set into the altar, usually a patron
saint of the church.
• In the early church and in the catacombs, the
altar was usually covering a tomb of a martyr.
• St. Peter and St. Paul, etc.
In a church, we also find pews...
• The pews, come from a French word meaning “benches,”
or “seats.”
• The pews are seats for worshippers in the church.
• Pews are an early medieval innovation in the West, they
developed from stone seats attached to walls
Kneelers…
• In many churches, pews are equipped with kneelers in front
of the seating bench so members of the congregation can
kneel on them instead of kneeling on the floor. In a few other
situations such as confessionals and areas in front of an altar,
kneelers for kneeling during prayer or sacraments may also be
used
Christ the Head
What’s interesting is that when you look at the church,
you’ll see that it really resembles a body.
You have Christ, the Head, because He is in the
tabernacle.
The tabernacle is where we keep the Blessed Sacrament,
or Holy Communion, Christ Himself. Christ is the Head of
the Church, so He’s there in the very central, and the
Head of the Church.
Then, where we sit, and we make up the arms and the
legs of the Church. We’re the Body of Christ. We sit out
here in the pews. It’s the shape of a human person. The
arms, and the legs, and the head - Christ being at the
Head. The altar is in the sanctuary, which is the heart.
Then we have other altars…
• The high altar receives its name from the fact that it is the
chief altar in a church,
• Because it is the main altar, it is raised on an elevated plane in
the sanctuary, where it may be seen simultaneously by all the
faithful in the body of the church.
• The high altar symbolizes Christ, and it serves at the same
time as the banquet table on which He offers Himself through
the hands of the priest to the Eternal Father; for Christ is
present in our churches not only in a spiritual manner but
really, truly, and substantially as the victim of a sacrifice.
• A sacrifice necessarily supposes a priest and an altar, and the
Acts of the Apostles 2:42 plainly indicates that the faithful are
to participate in the prayers of the sacrifice and to partake of
the victim.
• Priest and altar – are not both present in other churches.
High altar
• At the center of the high altar is the tabernacle.
• Most high altars are very tall, and they are made of
either marble or stone
Other altars…
• We also have altars here at St. Michael’s at the feet of St.
Mary and St. Joseph.
• Masses can be said on these altars if there is a pastoral
necessity.
• These altars would have been used when there
were several priests living at St. Michael’s, and they
would read there own Mass, if the church had
many different functions happening during a given
day.
• Every priest is obliged to say one Mass every day
whether there is a congregation present or not!
• Our church here at ST. Michael’s seats anywhere between 700750 people.
• We have 4200 parishioners and 1800 families
The Vestibule
Next, we have a vestibule?
• This is called a vestibule, or a narthex.
• That’s a Greek word meaning “like an entranceway.”
• The idea of the vestibule is that you want to transition from
coming from the world into the Church of God, or the House of
God.
• The Church is called God’s House. You want to be able to
transition from the worldliness, and all your cares of the world,
and all the busy activities, so you transition from the world into
Sacred place.
• The narthax is supposed to do that.
The Vestibule
• That’s why you’d have coffee and donuts out there. You
wouldn’t have coffee and donuts in the church, because
this is a very holy and a very sacred place.
• You could have them out in the vestibule, which is fine.
That’s an area for gathering, for community, for
fellowship, and for socializing.
• The vestibule here at St. Michael’s has a bathroom, and
provides room for book, CD, or pamphlet racks, bulletin
boards
• Once we leave the vestibule and enter the church, we
enter the nave.
The Nave
The Nave
• Once we enter into the main part of the church that is called the
nave.
• We get the word “navy” from that.
• “Nav” is the word meaning “the ship,” so most churches were in
the shape, for example, of the ship.
• In fact, the Church is always seen as the Ark of Salvation,
almost like a ship upon which people go into to be saved.
• Remember, at the time of Noah, when the Flood came, the
people that were on the Ark were saved – those who weren’t
were drowned outside.
• Many of the churches have a sort of nautical feel to them, to
remind us of the Ark of Salvation, wanting to be on the Ark
when the Flood came, that we could be saved.
What is the nave?
• The nave is the central open space in the church, often
separated from the sanctuary by steps
• The nave refers to the part of the church reserved for
worshippers, including the central and side aisles and
crossing transepts.
The transept
• The transepts are the arms.
• Here they represent our sacristies.
• A sacristy is a room where the clergy vest and prepare
for liturgical functions
• The sacristy houses for sacred vessels, vestments, and
other articles used for worhsip.
• The transept crosses the main part of the sanctuary.
The transept
• The transept is the arms of the church.
• There is the altar, the Altar of Sacrifice.
• That is where the Sacrifice of the Mass takes place.
• As we’ll hear in a few weeks, the Mass is the same
sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
• It’s not a new sacrifice; it’s the one and only
sacrifice, of Jesus offering Himself to the Father;
but we are privileged that at the Mass, we are
made present at the Last Supper and at Calvary.
• When we attend Mass, time and space are pushed aside,
and we’re present at the Last Supper and present at Calvary
The Altar
• The altar is where sacrifices take place.
• In the Old Testament, they had animal sacrifices.
• Those are all gone, because Christ, the Lamb of God,
offered Himself, and He is the One Sacrifice to the
Father. He’s the Perfect Sacrifice.
• All the Old Testament offerings of lamb and bullock
and goat, that was only to prefigure Jesus offering
Himself to the Father as the Lamb of God.
• When we attend Mass, Mass is always said around
an altar, because that’s where the sacrifice of Christ
takes place. Jesus’ cross was like an altar, upon which
He gave His life for our salvation
The Baptismal Font
• You’ll always see a baptismal font in church, which is where
the adults or the babies are baptized.
• Often times it’s found in the narthax.
• There is deep significance for that, because we became
Christians through Baptism.
• That’s how we first entered Christianity, was through
Baptism.
• Baptismal fonts are often put in the front of the Church to
remind us that’s how we entered into Christianity, and this is
how some of you will enter into the Church on Holy
Saturday.
More on the font
• For example, when you come into church,
you’ll see the baptismal font right up
front, and the Easter candle is always
beside it. It is called the Paschal Candle.
That is blessed at the Holy Saturday night
mass. The baptismal font doesn’t always
have to be there. It could be at other
places in the church.
The Font
• One reason the baptismal font is up front is because – everyone
will be able to see people being baptized.
• Also, we do so many baptisms at the parish (I’ve done more than
100 in my past two years here at the parish.
• We usually will have, three, four, even as many as six babies
being baptized every other weekend.
• It’s very difficult to have six families standing back near the back
of the church, with everyone trying to stand around and watch a
baptism, especially for the Grandma’s and Grandpa’s.
• It’s hard for them to stand for that entire length of time. By
having the baptismal font in the front, you can have families sit
in these pews during the baptism. Then they come up
individually as a family to have the baby baptized. That’s our
wisdom of having the baptismal font in the front.
Holy Water fonts
• We have holy water containers at all the doors, so when
people come into the doors and the different places where
there are doors; you’ll see what’s called a holy water font,
these small dishes.
• People can dip their hand in, and you bless yourself with the
holy water, and that reminds you of how you became a
Christian at your Baptism.
• People dip their fingers in, either one or two fingers in, and
then bless yourself, in the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, because you were baptized in the
Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
• It serves as a reminder of your Baptism, and you’re
encouraged to do that as you come in the church, and as
you leave church every time.
The ceiling = vault
• The ceiling is called the vault.
• If you go to Europe and see some of
the great cathedrals, you’ll see the
magnificent ceilings or vaults that
they have as well over there.
Architecture – Stained glass
windows
• The term stained glass can refer to colored glass as a material
or to works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year
history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the
windows of churches and other significant buildings.
• The design of a window may be abstract or figurative; it may
incorporate narratives drawn from the Bible, historical events,
or it may represent saints or patrons, or use symbolic motifs.
Windows within a building may be thematic, for example:
within a church - episodes from the life of Christ, the
mysteries of the Rosary, or other events.
Stained Glass Windows
• Stained glass windows were used by some to tell a story of the
life of Christ in pictures.
• Some were illiterate and could not read the passage, and so by
looking at the window and meditating they were able to given a
glimpse of the life of the story that the window foretold
Stained Glass windows…
• We will not be able to see these stained glass windows
well at night, but during the day when the sun is shining
they are beautiful.
• Every stained glass window at our parish tells a story
from the bible of the life of Christ, or the life of a saint.
• Stained glass window originated during the building of
the great cathedrals, because majority of people could
not read during that time
• The window would teach them about God, or the
saint.
• The windows were a way to educate the faithful who
could not read.
Confessionals
• Confessionals are the place where the sacrament of Penance
is administered. We will walk through the confessional at the
end of the tour
• In the confessional, the penitent or the one who is confessing
their sins, may sit face to face and tell the priests their sins
asking for his God’s forgiveness or they may go behind a grille.
Stations of the Cross
• In every Catholic Church, you have the Stations of the
Cross.
• The Stations of the Cross were invented by the
Franciscans, because not everybody could get to the Holy
Land, to Jersualem, to walk through the streets of
Jerusalem and to make the Via Dolorosa (the way of the
cross)
• St. Francis and the Franciscans had an idea, they put up
the 14 stations of the cross on the walls in the churches.
Stations of the Cross
• This is a devotion performed by meditating on the
Passion of Christ, successively before 14 stations of the
Cross.
• The stations are attached normally to the interior walls of
a church.
• The pictures depict various scenes of Christ’s journey to
Calvary
What is a parish?
• What does the word parish mean?”
• We have churches, but we have St. Michael’s parish.
• The word parish originally comes from a word meaning “a
territorial division.”
• If you go around town, you’ll see “St. Mary’s Parish, Holy
Family Parish, the Newman Center Parish, and in EGF
Sacred Heart Parish”
• It meant a district.
• But eventually, when churches were put in those places,
they called each of those churches a parish.
• A parish means “a territorial division.”
Parish = territorial division
• Imagine if you will 80 years ago when Grand Forks
was being built. We had St. Michael’s here, and
there were other parishes in town.
• But if you had to go to a parish because you were
living on the south side of town, it would have been
a hard commute. Now, we have a lot of parishioners
who come to church here because we have vehicles
to get across town pretty quickly.
• St. Michael’s would have served the people on the
north side of town back in the day before
transportation was prominent.
Other things we find in a
church?
• We have already discussed a tabernacle being placed in
every high altar, or behind the main altar.
• Beside every tabernacle, we have what we call a
sanctuary lamp.
• A sanctuary lamp is a wax candle, kept in a red container,
that burns day and night whenever the Blessed
Sacrament, or called the Holy Eucharist is reserved and
present in Catholic Churches or chapels.
• The lamp represents Christ’s abiding love and a reminder
to the faithful to respond with loving adoration in return.
• This candle is always lit to remind the people that Christ
is present in the tabernacle. Is it ever not lit????
The answer is yes…
• There are days the red candle is not lit, when?
• If you ever come to church on Good Friday, the red
sanctuary lamp candle will not be lit, because the Lord is
removed and moved to another sanctuary for that day to
remind us of his death.
• Also when the church is having maintenance done, or
construction done the Blessed Sacrament is removed and
reverenced in another spot.
• Again, the red sanctuary lamp reminds us that Christ is
present, and when He is here, we genuflect and give Him
reverence when we come to the House of God.
Sanctuary lamp = Christ is
present
• On Good Friday, the tabernacle doors remain open, and
Jesus is removed, and the tabernacle lamp is
extinguished.
• According to Canon law, the tabernacles are always
locked, and they have to be locked.
• Why?
• So no one can come and steal the Blessed
Sacrament.
• Vandalisms have occurred for centuries, especially
groups that associate themselves with Satanic
worship.
Where Jesus is, the lamp
represents His Presence!
• It is important that tabernacles are kept locked. If Jesus
is not present the candle is not lit and the doors are kept
wide open.
• If the candle is moved a new area, like on Good Friday,
a candle is lit at the new location.
• Whenever Jesus is present, there is always a lit
sanctuary lamp beside him.
Monstrance
• On the sheet of sacred vessels that was given out to you
at the beginning of class. The monstrance is a
representative of a sunburst.
• It is about two feet tall display receptacle that holds the
Blessed Sacrament.
• Here in Grand Forks, at St. Ann’s guest home chapel, Jesus is
present for adoration 24 hours a day seven days a week.
What is a Monstrance?
• Monstrance comes from the Latin word meaning “to
show”.
• During adoration, we put the host that is consecrated
into a monstrance to show it, and for the purpose of
prayer and adoration.
• When the Lord is exposed, we usually light seven candles
on each side on a candelabra , giving attention to the
Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
Ciborium
• Another thing you will find in every Catholic Church is a
Ciborium
• A Ciborium is a gold container with a lid.
• What is put into a ciborium are hosts that are either
consecrated or to be consecrated at Mass. If they are
consecrated, they are put into a ciborium and put into
the tabernacle.
• The same Lord that we receive in Holy Communion is
present in every tabernacle. That is why we often use
the term “Real Presence” which we will cover in a few
weeks.
• There is a sense that someone is there, and it is the
Lord.
Vessel made for the Lord
• The ciborium is a covered container used to hold the
consecrated small Hosts. It is very similar to a chalice but
it is covered and larger.
• The ciborium is made of various precious metals, and the
interior is commonly gold or gold plated.
Short little story
• When Pope John Paul II came to the east coast about 12
years ago, he came to Baltimore.
• The secret service had to go into the place where he was
staying to make sure that there were no bombs placed.
• So they sent dogs into that place and when the dogs
made there way into the chapel by the tabernacle, they
kept barking.
• What did the dogs find? They found a person named
Jesus.
• The dogs recognized the Real Presence.
Church= house of God
• When we open the tabernacle, there will be a curtain,
which represents the curtain that hung in the temple of
God, and a veil.
• Veils are important in the Sacred Scriptures.
• Veils represent something that is sacred or holy!
• That’s why when a woman gets married she’ll often
have a veil over her head as she walks up to the altar.
• The veil represents a sense of mystery, a sense of the
sacred.
• Some parishes use a chalice veil to cover the chalice,
some parishes use a tabernacle veil to cover the
tabernacle
Candles
• Candles are a part of every Catholic Church
• Candles were first used in predawn services and in the
catacombs. The candles provided light for people to be
able to move about freely, and for people to read or see.
• They have become a part of our liturgy and their
symbolism is part of the church’s tradition. Candles are
an emblem of God, the giver of life and our source of
enlightenment.
• Being pure, they represent Christ’s spotless body, the
flame is a figure of the Divine Nature.
Candles in the Church
• Candles are a part of every Catholic Church on both sides of
the altar.
• Candles originated when the church's were in the catacombs.
• We need to remember that the church for the first 300
years was underground Masses, because it was illegal to be
a Christian.
• In the catacombs, there was no electricity. The only way for
a priest to read prayers and to read the Scriptures was by
the light of the candle
• Even though the church has come out of the catacombs,
we still continue to use candles to remind us that at one
time the church was persecuted.
Votive candles…
• We also have what we call votive candles, which are
candles that are burned before some statue or shrine to
give honor to our Lord, to our Lady, or to one of the
saints.
• The word “votive” goes back to the ancient custom of
lighting candles in fulfillment of some private vow.
Votive candles..
• Here in the church, we have two racks with maybe 40 or
50 votive candles that burn for about 3 hours, and we
have one rack in the sacristy that burns for one week of
maybe a dozen candles.
• Votive comes from the Latin word meaning “vow” or
“promise”.
Why light them?
• Why light a votive candle?
• What people would do when they visited these places or
catacombs in the early church is they would carry a
torch, and they would leave the lit torch in front of the
church, or catacomb, or in front of a saint that was
buried in these churches.
• This became known as votive lights.
• Many times people would make a vow to serve God or to
give something to God, and they would leave these
candles there and go to work.
• Now days, the candles are already there, and you just
light the candle, and leave your donation.
Is this a good luck thing?
• This is not a good luck thing, or a thing of superstition.
• When you light a candle, and you kneel down and pray
asking God for special favors. It could be for someone
who is struggling or sick, or in a crisis.
• What the candle means is that even though you have to
go back to work and/or take care of your family, when
you light the candle, you want God to remember your
prayer, even after you have left the church.
• Every candle lit on the racks means that somebody is
praying for a special intention.
• If you see all 50 candles lit on each rack, that is 100 intentions
and 100 people asking for prayers
Pulpit
• The pulpit is an elevated stand for preaching or reading
the word of God and the gospel
• The pulpit is also a place where the homily is preached.
• Pulpits became general only in the middle ages. Before
that a bishop preached from the cathedra, or the chair
where he presided.
Icons or painting…
• In the archway leading into the sanctuary, you will see
images, like the dove at the very top. That represents
the presence of the Holy Spirit.
• You will see four symbols that resemble animal like
figures. These come from the Book of Revelation and
they represent the four Gospel writers.
• Eagle – John
• Ox – Luke
• Lion – Mark
• Human Angel – Matthew
Statues…
• The church is filled with statues.
• On your left at the side altar is the Blessed Mother Mary
• On your right at the side altar is St. Joseph.
• If you look at the high altar,
• On the left you see St. Michael, the archangel – the Patron Saint
of our Church
• In the middle you see the statue of Calvary – where Jesus is
crucified, and St. Mary, and St. John are at the foot of the cross.
• On the right side of the high altar, you see St. Patrick
• You might ask why St. Patrick?
• St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish were
predominately the first settlers of this parish, and so they
wanted a reminder of the great work that St. Patrick had
accomplished for our Lord in their homeland.
Why statues?
• The statues of our Lord, the Blessed Mother, and other
saints are sculptured, carved, or cast into solid material,
and venerated by the faithful.
• Their purpose is to recall the person whom the statue
represents in order to inspire greater piety.
• Christians do not worship statues or idols.
Statues are not graven images
• Catholics do not worship statues or images. They are not
graven images.
• Rather, they are sacred, holy images, and they remind of
us higher realities that each of us is called to live for
heaven.
• Just like the American flag reminds us of our country, the
Statue of Liberty reminds us of our freedom, the
monuments like Lincoln memorial in Washington DC
remind us of heroic figures.
• They are reminders and we do not worship
them!
Some will ask more questions?
• Like where in the bible does God say that, that is okay?
• In the book of Exodus – God tells the Israelites to make
an Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant
contained the Ten Commandments, and manna from the
desert.
• God said on the ark, make two adoring angels or
cherubim. You have probably seen these images, they
are on the tabernacle doors here in the high altar.
•
•
•
•
They have large wings
They are bowed
They have their hands in prayer
They are on both sides of the ark of the covenant
Sacred Images…
…are not forbidden in the bible.
• Graven images are condemned, things like when the
Israelites made the golden calf, and they worshipped it.
• That was a mortal sin.
• We don’t do that in the church; these images remind us
of where we are called to be; that is in heaven with God!
• If someone came into the church and broke a statue with
a hammer, they would not hurt the statue, because these
saints are in heaven.
• These statues are representations
Utmost respect.
• We should treat these statues with respect!
• Just like we don’t trample on the American Flag, and
wipe our feet on it, we should not destroy or defame any
sacred images, because they remind us of heaven.
Family pictures…
• I am sure that all of you must have a family picture, or a
picture of your children, or your wife, we don’t worship
these, they just remind us of people that we love
• Statues are found in churches throughout the world to
give us the example of love.
• They are good because they engage our senses.
•
•
•
•
•
Hearing – Music, the Word of God
Touching – Holy Water, the Eucharist
Smelling – Incense
Tasting – Precious Body and Precious Blood
Seeing – the beauty of the House of the Lord
Thurible
• The thurible is a censer or vessel in which incense is
burned at liturgical services.
• It consists of a cup shaped metal body for holding
charcoal and incense, with a separate lid for controlling
the smoke and fire, and a chain, allowing the censor to
swing freely and safely without spilling any contents.
Thurible
• Thurus in Latin means incense
• This is how it lifts open, but pulling the cover up
• There is a burning charcoal put in here, that was lit by
a match
Boat – holds incense to be
burned
• The boat is a boat shaped vessel that holds incense
before it is put into a censer or thurible.
• Inside this boat, are little granules that are put on the hot
coal that produces incense.
• When you use incense, not only does it enhance the
sense of smell, but it reminds us that our prayers are
drifting to heaven as the book of Psalms says.
Incense
• Incense when it is burned gives us a fragerent aroma and
smoke is visible.
• When incense is blessed it is a symbolic sacramental.
• Its burning signifies zeal or fervor;
• It’s fragrance symbolizes virtue;
• It’s rising smoke symbolizes human prayer ascending to
God.
When is incense used?
• Incense is used at Mass
• -for the Book of the Gospel
• -at the altar
• -for the people
• -over the bread and wine
• -before consecration
• -at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
• -During processions
• -at funerals
What is the history of incense?
• Incense was used in the temple of the Old Testament
• Why?
• People would come to the temple who traveled for
several miles and had not bathed in days – incense
would cover their smell
• In the temple, animals were being slaughtered and
blood was all over the place – incense was used to
cover the smell
• In the early church, people would travel up to 50 days
to get from place to place, and did not have a source
for running water – covered the stench
Altar
• We explored earlier the history and significance of where
the altar is placed. We will now explore more of the
details of the altar
• Most altars are rectangular. Why?
Altars are rectangular because..
• They were about the size of a coffin
• In the early church in the catacombs, and when Masses
took place underground, the Mass would be said on the
sites of the tombs of the saints.
• They would cover the tomb with a white cloth,
• Maybe 3 feet by 6 feet
• They would gather around them and put candles on
them.
Altars
• Altars are either made of wood or marble
• Before Vatican II every altar had to have an altar stone
which was a piece of stone that was about 10 inches
square, and it was cut into the altar.
• Inside these stones, were relics of saints. We will look
at the stone when we view the tabernacle.
• That is why every priest venerates the altar of sacrifice
at the beginning and end of Mass, he venerates the
spot where the sacrifice will take place, and the relic of
the saint
Early days of the Church
• When the Masses were held in the catacombs or
underground, the entire saint was buried underneath the
altar so they would respect the presence of the saints.
• When churches would later be built, they would put a
relic or a piece of the saint under the altar
• Maybe a piece of clothing they wore, they would place
that in the altar stone
What are some things that are
found on the altar?
• 1. Corporal (on the back of your vessel sheet)
• A corporal is a square white linen cloth on which the Host
and Chalice are placed during Mass. It is also kept under
the monstrance at the Blessed Sacrament at any time.
• When it is folded it is folded into nine squares.
• Why? So no crumbs or particles can fall out of it!
• The way it is opened is the way it lays on the altar, and
when it is open all nine squares show.
• Corporal comes from the Latin word “corpus” which means
the Body of Christ
• The Corporal is placed on the altar, and the sacred vessels
are set on top of it
Image of the Corporal Cloth
• An image of the corporal folded into nine squares
On the Altar
• 2. Chalice
• Chalice comes from the Latin word “collix” – means a
cup.
• Most chalices are made of precious metal, either silver
or gold.
• The chalice is a cup shaped vessel used at Mass to
contain the Precious Blood of Christ.
• A chalice is consecrated and blessed by a bishop
before it is ever used.
Picture of a Chalice
On the Altar
• 3. Purificator
• A purificator is a small piece of white linen, marked
with a cross in the center, used by the priest in the
celebration of the Mass. It is folded into three layers
and used by the priest to purify his fingers and chalice
and paten after Holy Communion.
• The purificator covers the chalice and is used to
cleanse the chalice.
On the altar
• 4. Paten
• A paten sets on top of the purificator which are both
on top of the chalice.
• It comes from a latin word meaning a dish. In the
paten is placed a host.
• A paten is a saucer like dish of the same material that
the chalice is made out of. It is blessed and
consecrated by a bishop.
• The paten must be large enough to cover the chalice,
on which it rests.
• On top of the paten, rests the bread to be consecrated
Paten
• Picture of the Paten
On the Altar
• 5. Host
• The host is made of unleavened bread, which consists
of pure wheat, flour, and water.
• The host is a victim of sacrifice, and therefore the
consecrated Bread of the Eucharist considered as the
sacrifice of the Body of Christ.
On the Altar
• 6. Pall
• The pall is a sacred covering.
• Most commonly, it is a stiff square cardboard covered
with linen, spread over the top of the chalice at Mass.
• The pall is placed over the host, the paten, the
purificator, and the chalice
When is the pall used?
• The pall is used to cover the chalice during the
consecration.
• In the early days of the church, they had to cover the
chalice in the catacombs. The church was underground,
it was damp, it was cold, and they would have drops of
water falling off of the ceiling
• Today, we use the pall to protect the chalice from insects,
bugs, and particles of dust.
Pall
• There is a different type of a pall as well, and it is the
funeral pall.
• Being the pall is a covering, it is placed over the top of
a coffin at funeral Masses
Chalice Veil
• 7. A chalice veil is a covering for the chalice used at
Mass.
• You will see this used in some parishes
On the Altar
• 8. Burse
• A burse is a stiff pocket about twelve inches square in
which the folded corporal is carried to and from the
altar.
Reverence
• We have to be very careful how we handle the Lord’s
Body and Blood so that no particles of the Lord’s Body
and Blood are lost, because Jesus is present in every
particle.
• Now Jesus is present in the whole consecrated host,
and He is present in every particle.
• Just like when a mirror shatters into hundreds of
pieces, and you pick up a fragment the same is true
with the Eucharist.
• Now when a piece of the Eucharist is very tiny, we don’t
just throw these into a wash machine.
• There is a special way to care for them. They are immersed into
water for a triple immersion before any cloths are washed.
On the Credence table right off
of the altar
• 1. Cruets
• These are one of two small vessels or bottles to
contain the water and the wine used at the
Consecration of the Mass.
• These vessels are usually made of gold, silver, or
glass.
• If they are metal, you cannot see what is inside of
them. Therefore, the initials “A” for Aqua and
“V” for Vino which stand for wine
• These Cruets are presented as offerings of the faithful
at Offertory when the gifts are brought forward.
• The Cruet holding the water is also used to purify the
vessels after Holy Communion
Cruets
• A picture of the cruets
On the Credence table
• 2. Lavabo dish
• This is the small flat saucer shaped bowl that catches
the water used in the cleansing of the fingers at the
Mass
• This washing of the hands originated when during the
offertory in the early days of the church, where people
would bring up things like baskets of potatoes for the
poor, or apples. The priest would receive these things,
and then would wash his hands
• Now days the washing is more symbolic
• We don’t offer up hogs, cattle, sheep, or things like
that during the Mass. We still purify ourselves
before the Holy Sacrifice is made.
On the Credence table
• 3. Lavabo
• This is the vessels that holds the water for liturgical
washing by a priest at Mass.
• 4. Towel cloth that dries the hands
Sacred Books that we use…
• 1. Sacramentary
• Sacra = means holy
• So this is a holy book. This book contains all of the
prayers and directives used for the Mass, but does not
include the readings used at Mass
• This book contains all of the opening prayers,
Eucharistic prayers, closing prayers.
The Sacramentary
• This book of prayers is divided up into liturgical seasons
• Advent
• Lent
• Easter
• Christmas
• Ordinary Time
• Different ribbons are set for different prayers at
each Mass
• The tabs represent different Eucharistic prayers. Many
parishes have a sacramentary stand that is used at the
altar.
Sacramentary Stand
• The Sacramentary Stand is a stand to hold the book in an
upright position at the altar.
Sacred Book that are used…
• 2. Lectionary
• The Lectionary comes from a Latin word “Leccio”
meaning the word.
• This is the book that has all of the readings that are
used at Mass, and are divided up into a three year
cycle on the weekends, and they are on a two year
cycle for the weekday readings
• If you come to Mass every day for three years, you will
most of the Scriptures read.
Lectionary
• As you can see there are three books to represent a
three year cycle of reading for Sunday’s and Solemn
Feasts. There is a two year cycle for week day readings,
and a one year cycle for the feasts of the saints. These
books cover a wide range of other readings for Mass
settings like weddings and funerals as well.
Sacred books that we use
• 3. Book of the Gospels
• This is the Book that is used to proclaim the Gospels
on Sundays, Holy Days, and Major Feast Days
throughout the year. The priest of the deacon reads
the gospel from this book.
Crucifixes used
• 1. A crucifix is mandatory in every Catholic Church.
• Either on the altar, or somewhere from up above
• Sometimes you will find it on the back wall
• But it is always necessary.
• What is a crucifix and why is different than a cross?
• A crucifix is a cross bearing the image of Christ. It is placed
on the altar or over an altar where the Mass is celebrated.
Due reverence is always given to it. It can be a processional
crucifix leading a line of clergy
• A crucifix depicts the dead and suffering body of our Lord.
It reminds us of what Christ did for us.
• A Cross does not bear the body of Jesus, what is out of sight
can possibly be out of mind!
Processional Crucifix
• 2. this is the crucifix that the Mass servers will carry in
during the procession to the altar and lead the
procession at the end of the Mass.
Holy Water Aspergillum
• The Holy Water Aspergillum
• This comes from the Latin word “aspersory” which
means the sprinkling of Holy Water.
• This is used at all funerals, at the Easter Sunday
Masses.
• This is a little bucket of that we use and the server
carries around the church for the priest. The priest
blesses the people after they renew their baptismal
vows at Easter. A small brush or instrument is used to
sprinkle during liturgical services.
Pyx
• A pyx is a metal box or vessel in which the Blessed
Sacrament is kept or carried.
• A pyx can be smaller and used by a priest to carry a few
hosts on the visits to the sick.
• At every Mass on weekends, we send one these pyx up
to the musicians in the choir loft, so that they can receive
Holy Communion at that Mass
Reliquary
• A reliquary is a repository in which a relic sealed or kept.
Reliquaries vary in size, according to the relic, from very
small ones that can be easily carried to larger caskets for
whole parts of saints body’s.
• Relics are rarely exposed for public veneration unless
enclosed in a reliquary.
• Here at St. Michael’s, we have the relic of the true Cross
in cased right above the tabernacle, that we venerate
every year on Good Friday.
Holy Oils
• To the left of the tabernacle, you will notice a cabinet
hanging on the wall, this cabinet is call an ambry and it
contains all of the holy oils. They are all blessed by the
bishop every year during Holy Week at the Chrism Mass
at the Cathedral in Fargo.
• OC – Oil of Catechumens
• OI – Oil of the Infirm
• SC – Sacred Chrism
Oil of Catechumens
• This one of the three oils that are used in the church for
anointing, and is used during the sacraments.
• This oil is used by a priest or deacon in the ceremonies of
baptism, from which its name is derived.
• The Catechumen (as you know from RCIA has never
been baptized) is the one being presented to receive
the sacraments.
• This oil is also used by the bishop to consecrate churches,
like the blessing of altars. It is used by the bishop for
ordination of priests.
Oil of the Infirm
• This is referred to as the oil of the sick, and this olive oil is
blessed by the bishop for use in the sacrament of
anointing of the sick.
• This is what we take to the hospital or homes if we are
called and someone only has a day or two to live, we
anoint them.
• It is also good to be anointed before any major surgery or
operation. We will cover anointing of the sick in another
class.
Sacred Chrism
• This Sacred Chrism oil is a consecrated mixture of olive
oil and balsam. It smells beautifully like the odor of
sanctity.
• This oil is blessed by the bishop, and it used in baptism,
confirmation, and holy orders when priests are ordained.
• This oil is also used for the blessing of bell towers,
baptismal fonts, and for the consecration of altars,
chalices, and patens.
What does a priest wear as he
prepares for liturgy?
• 1. Alb
• An alb is a full length white linen vestment secured
with a cincture used at Mass.
• This has a history of going back to the 4th century as
Romans wore them.
• The alb is blessed before it is worn.
• The alb symbolizes the garment in which Christ was
clothed by Herod and the purity of the soul with which
the Sacrifice of the Mass should be offered.
• A priest wears an alb to cover his clerical attire
• Clerical attire – black shirt, shoes, pants, and white
collar
Alb
• Here is a picture of an alb
Priest vesting
• 2. cincture
• A cincture is a belt, girdle, or cord tied around the
waist of an alb.
• This is worn by the priest at Mass, as it confines the
priest garment.
• It is usually a cord with tassels on each end. It is either
white or the color of the vestments for that day.
• The cinctures symbolizes chastity
Priest vesting
• 3. Stole
• A stole is a liturgical vestment composed of a strip of
material, several inches wide, and worn around the
neck by priests and bishops;
• It is only worn over one shoulder by a deacon.
• Stoles should be worn to administer the celebration of
the sacraments
Priest vesting
• 4. Chasubles
• A chasuble is a sleeveless outer garment worn by a
priest at Mass. It is worn over all other vestments and
is made of silk, velvet, or other rich material usually
decorated with symbols.
• The arms are to be free when it is worn.
• It symbolizes the yoke of Christ and it signifies charity.
How do we know which color
and when to wear it?
• There are seven liturgical colors that are used
• Green
• Violet (Purple)
• Rose
• White
• Gold
• Red
• Black
• The color that is worn depends on the specific day
and season depending on the church calendar.
Green
• The liturgical color green is worn the most frequently.
• Green is a sign of growth and life, and it is worn during
the Ordinary time in the church year.
• It is a sign of spring time
• It is a sign of hope
• Green is the color that we see in most trees, grass,
or leaves
Violet
• Violet is a color that is worn for the Lenten and Advent
Seasons.
• Violet is a sign and symbol that we are doing some
penance, and some inward inspection into our
spiritual life
• Violet is also a sign of repentance, a time when we
turn back to God.
• Violet is a color that represent royalty. When violet is
worn we are preparing during the seasons of Advent
and Lent to encounter the royalty of Christ our King at
Christmas and at Easter
Rose
• The Rose vestments are worn only two time every year.
• What are these times?
• 3rd Sunday of Advent – called Gaudete Sunday
• It is worn on the Sunday – the fourth Sunday of Lent
- that is half way through Lent known as Laetare
Sunday
• The color is not pink
• Often times you will see symbols like this “IHS”, which
means Jesus, Savior of our Humanity, or Jesus Savior of
the Human Race
• I – Jesus
H – Humanity
S – Savior
White
• White is a vestment that is used frequently during the
Church year.
• White is worn
• During the Christmas Season
• During the Easter Season
• For all Feast Days of our Blessed Mother
• For bishops, priests, and religious who were not
martyred but are saints on the church calendar
• All Saint’s Day
• At Funerals
• At Weddings
• White represents purity
Gold
• Gold is worn on feast days that show and exemplify the
royalty of Christ
• Christ the King Sunday
• Christmas Day
• These are the days where we extol the Kingship of
Christ.
Red
• Red Vestments are worn to represent bloodshed by
Christ or by any of the martyrs.
• Red is also worn on Good Friday
• Red is worn on Palm Sunday
• All Martyrs feast days that are celebrated
• Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit
Black
• Black is generally only worn on two occasions
• All Soul’s Day
• For funerals
Other liturgical vestments
• Cope and Humeral veil
• The cope is a long cape worn by priests and bishops at
certain religious rites like Benediction, or when a Mass
does not take place
• The cope is open in the front, like a mantle, it reaches
to the floor and is fastened on the breast with a clasp.
It is worn in processions, at Benediction, and other
solemn offices.
Humeral veil
• Humeral veil
• The humeral veil is a long oblong piece of silk or
vestment material often richly ornamented or
embroidered, worn over the shoulders and covering
the hands of the priest as he gives the blessing with
the Sacred Host at benediction .
• It is also used when sacred vessels with their reserved
contents are carried from one tabernacle to another or
in procession.
Cassocks and surplices
• A cassock is a church garb of all clerics.
• A cassock is a long close-fitting garment that is
sometimes belted usually with 33 buttons on them to
represent the 33 years of the life of Christ. For ordinary
use it is usually black in color.
Surplice
• Surplice
• A surplice is a large sleeved tunic of half length, made
of linen or cotton, without a cincture, and occasionally
embroidered at hem and sleeves.
• It is a liturgical garment worn by all clergy in choir,
during processions, and worn during administering the
sacraments.
Before we leave…
• I would like all of you to come up and genuflect as you
approach the tabernacle, take a look inside
• Also take a look at the altar stone as the cloths are lifted,
• Also I would like you to see the inside of the confessional
• Scott has volunteered to lead anyone in a rosary if
anyone would like to learn to pray with him today.