The altar is a solid piece of Verdi antique marble with symbols on its front to remind all that this is where Jesus feeds us.  No one worshipping in the church is ever more than 65 feet from the sanctuary. The interior of the church is simple with most of the walls of brick construction.

The word "altar" derives from the Latin altare  (from adolere - burn) and came to be used in the early Christian church to designate the table on which was placed the bread and wine for Eucharist.  The Greek language used the word thysiasterion (table sacrifice) to designate an altar.  Paul speaks of the "table of the Lord" (I Corinthians 10:21), and it is at a table that Jesus foretells his death, giving us the sacrificial gift that we will celebrate in his memory until we assemble at the banquet in heaven.

The altar, then, is a symbol of Christ in the midst of the assembly of believers, a table dedicated for both the sacrifice and the paschal banquet.

The altar was a simple free-standing table for the first few centuries of Christian worship but it was soon affected by changing styles in church architecture and a changing theology of Christian worship.  Ornate architectural detail, a more elaborate liturgy performed largely by the clergy and the placing of the altar on the rear wall of the apse meant that the altar was no longer the table of the assembly.  It was primarily the resting place for the bread and wine for Eucharist, the missal, candies, prayer cards, flowers, and later the tabernacle.

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) revised the norms relating to the altar and used the earliest tradition of the church as its guide.  Following this lead the United States Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy wrote:  "The altar, the holy table, should be the most noble, the most beautifully designed and constructed table the community can provide.  It is the common table of the assembly, a symbol of the Lord...standing free, approachable from every side."  (Environment and Art in Catholic Worship, #71)

The altar must be a piece of furniture of such beauty that it honors the holy action that occurs there, of such stature that it is worthy of the mystery celebrated there, of such eloquent simplicity that it invites the people of God to participate in a most extraordinary gift of sacrificial love.  The altar stands as a worthy symbol of Christ and a holy table where God's people are nourished for their pilgrimage.

Copyright 1997 Archdiocese of Chicago Liturgy Training Publications, 1880 North Hermitage Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 - 1101;1-800-933-1800 Text by Phillip Horrigan