Altar Stone

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My home parish has in its altar a stone, which is said to contain the relics of a saint. Does anyone else know if your home parish’s altar contains an altar stone? If you dont know, ask your pastor.
 
I’m not sure what class relic it is, but we have a relic of Saint Martin de Porres in the floor under our altar.

Paul
 
I’m not exactly sure about an altar stone, but we recently had a new altar consecrated and I want to say I remember something about an altar stone. However, underneath the altar, we have an enclosed reliquary holding relics of St Therese of Lisieux…our parish Patron Saint.
 
The altars of all Catholic churches contain the relics of martyrs.
 
Paul2274 said:
I’m not sure what class relic it is, but we have a relic of Saint Martin de Porres in the floor under our altar.

Paul
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First class relic of course. I believe that in addition to such a relic it may be a requirement that the relics of a martyr are placed in/under the altar.
 
I have heard that most altars in Catholic Churches do contain a relic. That is one of the reasons that the priest or priest and deacon kiss the altar before starting the Mass. I believe our altar came from Italy and was told that all the altars from Italy have a relic.I don’t know which saint. I wish I did.
 
mercygate said:
First class relic of course. I believe that in addition to such a relic it may be a requirement that the relics of a martyr are placed in/under the altar.
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Are there really that many 1st class relics of saints available for every catholic church. I realize it could be a fragment of hair or bone even really tiny but that just seems like a lot.

Glad we have a lot of saints…😃

Paul
 
Paul2274 said:
Are there really that many 1st class relics of saints available for every catholic church. I realize it could be a fragment of hair or bone even really tiny but that just seems like a lot.

Glad we have a lot of saints…😃

Paul
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Relics are usually teeeeeennnsy-weeeeeensy. I have one relics of St. Venantius (the early Church martyr) and John Neumann, each one is smaller than the head of a pin. What I want to know is HOW on earth do they get ink and pen small enought to write the name of the Saint on those itsy-bitsy pieces of paper in letters of about 2-point type!

You know the Scriptural reference for veneration of the bones of the saints, don’t you?
 
At our church we have a second class relic of St. Francis of Assisi. I don’t know if there is any requirement for the relic to be a first class/second class relic or even if there’s a requirement for there to be a relic to begin with.
 
pprimeau1976 said:
At our church we have a second class relic of St. Francis of Assisi. I don’t know if there is any requirement for the relic to be a first class/second class relic or even if there’s a requirement for there to be a relic to begin with.
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Are you referring to the relic IN the altar? Our parish has a first class relic of Catherine Laboure, which we venerate at the novena of the Miraculous Medal. That relic is not in the altar, though.
 
I just did some googling and came up with this article:
As churches close, relics hidden in altars face an uncertain fate
The standards for altar relics changed in the late 1960s, says the Rev. Brian Mahoney , director of the archdiocesan Office for Worship, and in most cases, the old altar stones are no longer appropriate for new churches.

“In the past, you could use a little chip from a bone or something for a relic,” Mahoney said. The current standard requires a larger piece that is an identifiable part of the body.

Such large relics are much harder to come by in modern times, says Mahoney, so church officials also lifted what had previously been a requirement that altars contain relics.(emphasis added)
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mercygate said:
Are you referring to the relic IN the altar? Our parish has a first class relic of Catherine Laboure, which we venerate at the novena of the Miraculous Medal. That relic is not in the altar, though.
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Yes, it is in the altar.
 
Not all altars have relics. I believe it no longer required. The last three places I have worked didn’t have altar stones and event the pastors didn’t know if there was a relic hidden somewhere in the altar. My home parish got a new altar with no relic but they are looking to put one under the altar but not actually part of it.
 
Joannm said:
Not all altars have relics. I believe it no longer required. The last three places I have worked didn’t have altar stones and event the pastors didn’t know if there was a relic hidden somewhere in the altar. My home parish got a new altar with no relic but they are looking to put one under the altar but not actually part of it.
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You’re breakin’ my heart here! One of the points that really gets the attention my sixth grade Scripture classes is the beginning-of-the-year tour in which I show them the altar stone and tell them about the martyrs in there. This is one of the really beautiful traditions of the Catholic faith.
 
Canon Law still calls for maintaining the tradition of relics under ‘fixed altars’. The two churches I know that recently got new altars don’t have relics anywhere, probably because they don’t have fixed altars.
Can. 1237 §1. Fixed altars must be dedicated, and movable altars must be dedicated or blessed, according to the rites prescribed in the liturgical books.
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§2. The ancient tradition of placing relics of martyrs or other saints under a fixed altar is to be preserved, according to the norms given in the liturgical books.
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Phemie said:
Canon Law still calls for maintaining the tradition of relics under ‘fixed altars’. The two churches I know that recently got new altars don’t have relics anywhere, probably because they don’t have fixed altars.
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Even though I know everything already :rolleyes: , I learn something new here every day.

Thanks! 👍
 
plato3 said:
I have heard that most altars in Catholic Churches do contain a relic. That is one of the reasons that the priest or priest and deacon kiss the altar before starting the Mass. I believe our altar came from Italy and was told that all the altars from Italy have a relic.I don’t know which saint. I wish I did.
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Well, not exactly. 🙂 The priest kisses the altar because it represents Christ and His sacrafice. There are relics there which are also worthy of that level of respect and veneration, but the relics are not the primary reason for the kiss - Christ is.

Edit—just noticed that you did say “one of the reasons” - just wanted to add a bit of clarification. 😉

~Liza
 
Here are the current norms regarding the placement of relics beneath an altar. This is take from the Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar:

*5. The tradition of the Roman Liturgy of placing relics of Martyrs or other Saints beneath the altar should be appropriately preserved. Nevertheless, the following should be noted:
a) Relics intended for deposition should be of such a size that they can be recognized as parts of human bodies. Hence, enclosing excessively small relics of one or more Saints must be avoided.
b) The greatest care must be taken to determine whether relics intended for deposition are authentic. It is better for an altar to be dedicated without relics than to have relics of doubtful credibility placed beneath it.
c) A reliquary must not be placed on the altar or in the table of the altar but beneath the table of the altar, In a manner suitable to the design of the altar.
*
 
kissing the altar is similar to kissing the cross on Good Friday…it is out of respect for Jesus (not for a relic of a Saint)
 
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