The Dedication of an Altar

The Dedication of an Altar is a rare ritual in the church. Normally, it takes place within the larger dedication of a church or chapel. However, this coming week, Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg will be dedicating a new altar at one of our local Tacoma parishes.

The altar in question was originally commissioned by the parish of Saint Joseph and its then-pastor Rev. Jacob Maurer. When the FSSP were assigned there, the altar had yet to be installed, and it was clearly something that they were never going to use.

So Rev. Michael Stinson FSSP and the people of Saint Joseph parish have made the altar a permanent loan to Visitation parish, with the understanding that if the FSSP ever leaves Saint Joseph and use of the altar is required, it will be returned.

In a sense, this is the last bit of unfinished business from the transitions of 2015.

If you have never seen this rite, you should definitely consider doing so.

The rites of anointing, incensing, covering, and lighting the altar express in visible signs several aspects of the invisible work that the Lord accomplishes through the Church in its celebration of the divine mysteries, especially the eucharist.

During the ceremony, the altar is anointed with holy chrism. This makes the altar a symbol of Christ, who, before all others, is and is called ‘The Anointed One’.

Incense is burned on the altar to signify that Christ’s sacrifice there, perpetuated in mystery, ascends to God as an odor of sweetness and also to signify that the people’s prayers rise up pleasing and acceptable, reaching the throne of God. (Rev: 8:3-4)

The lighting of the altar reminds us that Christ is ‘a light to enlighten the nations’; (Lk 2:32) his brightness shines out in the Church and through it in the whole human family.

(Source)

Please come! It should be a holy and unforgettable evening.