STAMFORD—It was with great excitement that parishioners of St. Mary of Stamford Parish welcomed Bishop Caggiano for the consecration of a new altar, on October 7, 2017.
The newly consecrated altar replaces one that had been built in January of 2008, in memory of the Casale Family. The old altar stood at the steps that in the Sanctuary lead up to the Tabernacle; accidentally damaged during a cleanup this altar had to be taken down. The old altar stone with its original relic has been seamlessly incorporated into the new altar, also in memory of the Casale Family, thus, their intentions have been respected.
The most striking feature of the new altar are the front and back stones with their mosaics depicting an elegant blue and gold fleur de lis pattern. Found inside the church, these stones originally served as altar railings for the side altars that are dedicated to Mary and Joseph, respectively. Each of the four stones weights approximately 250lbs and the total weight of the new altar is over 1,000lbs. Two exquisite iron grids stand at the very center of the altar’s front and back and, together with the stones they form a beautiful wrought iron case inside of which the relic of Saint Catherine Labouré is buried. The relic is a very special gift presented by the parishioners of St. Benedict/Our Lady of Montserrat Parish.
People of faith have consecrated altars to God for thousands of years and there are innumerable accounts of altar consecrations in our Judeo-Christian tradition. Both Hebrew and Catholic law are very specific as to the details of an altar consecration; they clearly stipulate that a consecrated altar is to serve in the worship of God and God alone. Needless to say, our Bishop faithfully followed the Ritual of the Dedication of an Altar and, through the meticulous actions he performed he gave us a glimpse into the mystery that we celebrate: at Holy Mass, Christ is the Priest, the Altar and the Lamb that is sacrificed to the Father, in the Spirit, for the salvation of the world.
