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Main altar at the Basilica of Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MOof the assembly, to which the greatestreverence is due.” 16 The General Instructionreaffirms this teaching of EucharisticumMysterium, describing it as “thecenter of the thanksgiving that is accomplishedthrough the Eucharist.” 17Third, the altar is “the place at whichSaint Michael’s Church, Creeslough, Irelandthe saving mysteries are carried out,”the altar of sacrifice. 18 It is the place,says the GIRM: “on which is effectedthe Sacrifice of the Cross made presentunder sacramental signs.” 19 Fourth, itis the table of the sacrificial meal, “thetable of the Lord to which the Peopleof God is convoked to participate inthe Mass.” 20 Drawing together the lasttwo aspects, the Catechism says, “Thealtar, around which the Church is gatheredin the celebration of the Eucharist,represents the two aspects of the samemystery: the altar of the sacrifice andthe table of the Lord.” 21 An altar that“worthily and beautifully serve[s] thedignity of worship” 22 will reveal thisfourfold ontology.Although Church documents donot use Aquinas’ terminology, theyPhoto: Jeff Geerlingdo show an implicitawareness ofhis three elements.In discussing thespecifications of thealtar, the Churchdocuments addressseveral elementsof its integritas, itswholeness or completeness.TheGIRM refers to thecentrality of thealtar: “the altarshould occupya place where itis truly the centertoward which theattention of the whole congregation ofthe faithful naturally turns.” 23 Built ofLiving Stones makes reference to twoother elements, the altar of sacrificeand the table of the sacrificial meal:“The shape and size should reflect thenature of the altar as the place of sacrificeand the tablearound which Christgathers the communityto nourish them.” 24Each of these passagesis addressingwhat Aquinastermed integritas.The concept ofconsonantia, proportionalityto an end,is also referred toin ecclesial documents.The Introductionto the OrderPhoto: Steve Cadmanof the Mass statesthat the altar’s“size and proportionsshould be appropriate to thenormal Sunday Eucharistic celebration,and it should be able to accommodatethe patens, ciboria, and chalicesfor the Communion of the faithful.” 25Consonantia as “a dense network ofrelations” 26 is also implied. Take forexample the exhortation in EucharisticumMysterium: “Pastors must realizethat the way the church is arrangedgreatly contributes to a worthy celebrationand to the active participation ofthe people.” 27 This is echoed by Built ofLiving Stones:In considering the dimensions ofthe altar, parishes will also wantto insure that the other majorfurnishings in the sanctuary are inharmony and proportion to the altar….Impact and focal quality are not onlyrelated to placement, size, or shape,but also especially to the quality ofthe altar’s design and worthiness ofits construction. The altar should becentrally located in the sanctuary andthe center of attention in the church. 28An altar possessing consonantia willbe appropriate to its liturgical functionand harmonious with the other sacredfurnishings.Aquinas’ third element, claritas,refers to the power of an object to revealits ontological reality. Something maypossess consonantia and integritas, butif these are not perceivable then itwill not be beautiful. This is what theGIRM is saying when it specifies that“the nature and beauty of the place andall its furnishings should foster devotionand express visually the holiness ofthe mysteries celebrated there.” 29 Accordingto Eucharisticum Mysterium,the altar should be “so placed and constructedthat it is always seen to be thesign of Christ himself.” 30 A key aspectof the altar as a symbol of Christ is afixed stone altar. The GIRM urges “afixed altar in every church, since it moreclearly and permanently signifies ChristJesus, the living stone (1 Pt. 2:4; cf. Eph2:20).” 31 Although in the United Statesaltars made from wood are permitted 32 ,an altar “with a table or mensa made ofMain altar at the Cathedral of Saints Peter& Paul, Philadelphia, PA26 Sacred Architecture Issue 21 2012Photo: parkwaymuseumdistrictphiladelphia.org
natural stone” will strengthen the claritasof the altar, “since it represents ChristJesus, the Living Stone (1 Pt 2:4).” 33 Asthese references make clear, the altarmust clearly show forth its ontologicalreality.Beautiful things reveal most easilyand completely their ontological realityand convey the attractive power ofthe Truth. The beauty of a churchbuilding will reflect its ontology asthe Temple and New Jerusalem and abeautiful altar will manifest its realityas the image of Christ himself, the altarof sacrifice, the table of the heavenlybanquet, and the table of thanksgiving.Saint Thomas Aquinas’ three constituentelements of beauty—integritas, consonantia,and claritas—provide a usefulmethodology for ensuring that allthings destined for the sacred liturgyare worthy, beautiful and able to turnmen’s minds devoutly toward God.Fidelity to ontological realities willproduce a church building that is “avehicle for carrying the presence of theTranscendent One” 34 in which “everyaltar…from the greatest to the least,is lit from that golden altar in heaven[Rev 8:3], and becomes its replica onearth, the representation of Our LordHimself.” 35Flannery (Northport, NY: Costello Publishing, 1996), art. 6.Henceforth, LG.12. Ibid.13. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC:United States Catholic Conference, 2000), 1383. HenceforthCCC.14. Ibid.15. Ibid.16. Second Vatican Council, “Eucharisticum Mysterium, ” inVatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, ed.Austin Flannery (Northport, NY: Costello Publishing, 1996), art.24. Henceforth, EM.17. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, GeneralInstruction of the Roman Missal (Washington, D.C.: United StatesConference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), 296. Henceforth GIRM.18. EM, 24.19. GIRM, 296.20. GIRM, 296.21. CCC, 1383.22. SC, art. 122.23. GIRM, 299. Italics added.24. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Built of LivingStones: Art, Architecture, and Worship (Washington, D.C.: UnitedStates Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2000), art.58. HenceforthBLS. Italics added.25. Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, Introduction to theOrder of Mass (Washington, D.C.: United States Conference ofCatholic Bishops, 2003), art. 52. Henceforth ITTOM.26. Eco, 119.27. EM, 24. Italics added.28. BLS, art. 58. Italics added.29. GIRM, 294. Italics added.30. EM, 24. Italics added.31. GIRM, art. 298.32. GIRM, 301.33. BLS, art. 57. Italics added. See also GIRM, no. 298 andRDCA, art. 934. Evdokimov, 147.35. Geoffrey Webb, The Liturgical Altar (Westminster, MD: TheNewman Press, 1949): 100.Father Randy Stice is a priest of the Dioceseof Knoxville, TN, where he serves as theDirector of the Office of Worship andLiturgy, the Diocesan Master of Ceremonies,and Associate Pastor of the Cathedral of theSacred Heart of Jesus. He holds an STL inSystematic Theology from the University ofSt. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminaryand an MA in Liturgy from The LiturgicalInstitute.(Endnotes)1. John Paul II, Letter to Artists, n. 6.2. Second Vatican Council, “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” inVatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, ed.Austin Flannery (Northport, NY: Costello Publishing, 1996, n.122. Henceforth SC. Italics added.3. Jacques Maritain, Art and Scholasticism with Other Essays, trans.J. F. Scanlan (North Stratford, NH: Ayer Coompany Publishers,1930), 20.4. Denis McNamara, Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit ofthe Liturgy (Mundelein, IL: Hillenbrand Books, 2009), 22.5. SC, 122.6. Ibid., art. 124.7. McNamara, 26.8. Umberto Eco, The Aesthetics of Thomas Aquinas, trans. StevenHugh Bredin (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1988),119. Italics original.9. Ibid., 89.10. Ibid., 90.11. Second Vatican Council, “Lumen Gentium,” in VaticanCouncil II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, ed. AustinSacred Architecture Issue 21 201227
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