Issue 68 - The Pilgrim - February 2018 - The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Southwark

The Pilgrim February 2018
Feature
The key elements
in a Catholic church
Fr David Gibbons of St Thomas of Canterbury in Sevenoaks begins a new series
in which he provides a duffer’s guide to some of the basics of Catholicism
This holy water font is placed near the entrance of the church.
When you enter a Catholic church
there may well be a feast of fine
architectural and artistic elements
to you to enjoy. Theologically,
however, there are only four key
features to be found in any
Catholic church.
The first of these is the altar,
the centre piece or focal point of a
church. The General Instruction of
the Roman Missal – which you will
find at the beginning of all missals –
teaches us that the altar has three
meanings.
First, it is that “on which is
effected the Sacrifice of the Cross
made present under sacramental
signs”. Secondly it is “the table of
the Lord to which the people of
God is convoked to participate in
the Mass”, and thirdly it is “the
centre of thanksgiving that is
accomplished through the
Eucharist”.
The order in which things are
placed in a list is always significant
in theology, so we can deduce from
this list that the altar as a place for
the sacrifice of the Mass is the
most important.
The General Instruction also
specifies that the altar is to be
fixed and that it should be made of
stone, although in England and
Wales an alternative “noble and
solid material” is permitted where
necessary. The requirement for a
stone altar reflects the origin of
altars in the tombs of the martyrs
in Rome, where the earliest Masses
were celebrated.
That the altar also represents
the table of the Last Supper is
shown by the design of many altars,
which often have pillars at the
ends, the vestige of the table’s
legs.
The next feature of a church is
the ambo. This is more than a
movable lectern but is a place from
which the Word of God is
proclaimed. This is based on Jewish
synagogue practice (and therefore
on what Jesus Himself did in the
synagogue when He read the
scriptures).
Ideally the ambo should match
the altar in its material, its design
and its dignity in the sanctuary, as
it is the focus of the Liturgy of the
Word, the first of the two main
parts of Mass.
Third is the font. The
introduction to the Rite of Baptism
for Children, says that the font
“should be spotlessly clean and of
pleasing design”. Baptism is the
first of the sacraments, and is so
important in Christian discipleship
that the font should reflect this.
The font “should be worthy to
serve as the place where Christians
are reborn in water and the Holy
Spirit”.
Presumably it should be
spotlessly clean not just to
demonstrate the importance of
Baptism but also to avoid infecting
babies with germs.
The fourth significant piece of
furniture in a Catholic church is the
place for the reservation of the
Blessed Sacrament, that is the
tabernacle. Again to quote the
General Instruction, the tabernacle
should be “in a part of the church
that is truly noble, prominent,
conspicuous, worthily decorated,
and suitable for prayer”.
Usually the tabernacle sits on a
plinth, so that it can be
conspicuous and a focus for prayer.
There is normally a light burning in
front of it, to tell you that the
Blessed Sacrament is present, and
it is to the Tabernacle that we
genuflect when we enter church.
There is a fifth item which you
will only find in cathedrals, namely
the Bishop’s cathedra or throne.
This is a symbol of his teaching
authority and customarily has his
coat of arms over it.
It stems from the expression
“chair of Moses”, which Jesus used
in Matthew 23:2 to signify the
authority of the scribes and rabbis
in interpreting the Jewish law, and
from the fact that Jesus Himself sat
down to teach (for example when
delivering the Sermon on the
Mount).
The Pilgrim is now online, making it possible to
read all the editions since it was launched in
2011.
To view it, visit the diocesan website and click
on the link on the left hand side of the page.
www.rcsouthwark.co.uk
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