altar stones

[casey_zia]

We are renovating our local church, and I saw the altar stone last night! It was (what looked like) a piece (rectangular solid) of marble, with a cross inscribed on the top. There was a very old piece of fabric covering the marble, with a certificate of consecration: “This Altar Stone, containing the relics of St. Fortunatus and St. Felicissimus, was consecrated by…(am withholding name)…, delegated by His Lordship the Bishop of Southwark.” What interests me is how this altar stone consecrated in England would get to our parish in Canada? Are there special bishops who do these consecrations? In the process of consecrating churches and altars, does a parish or diocese apply to some central office for authentic altar stones? My kids have always wanted to know about the relics in our altar, and now they have some homework to find out who these early Christians were/are!

 

[jpjd]

What interests me is how this altar stone consecrated in England would get to our parish in Canada?

It kind of acts as a time capsule, doesn’t it?! Does your parish office have a written history of the parish (when it was founded), or do you have an elderly lifetime resident of your parish who you could ask?

Our parish was renovating our old convent, no longer used and empty for many years, and we found a solid marble, rectangular altar stone in the basement. When we found it, I didn’t even know what it was, but I thought it was an interesting find and showed it to Father. Right away he recognized it to be an altar stone, and surmised it was from the pre-Vatican II altar. I don’t know if it had relics in it or not. Good grief, I hope not, seeing as how it was stored, forgotten about, in a basement for years.

 

[Spirithound]

I don’t know if it had relics in it or not. Good grief, I hope not, seeing as how it was stored, forgotten about, in a basement for years.

By definition, an altar stone has a relic in it.

To the OP, it could be that the church in England no longer exists, and when it was deconsecrated, the altar stone was stored for future use. Or perhaps only that one altar was decommissioned. It would be interesting to see the name of the person who consecrated it (I don’t think you’d be breaking any rules). Was it by a bishop? If it was by a priest, perhaps it was consecrated in Canada, but there was no bishop to do it? Is there a date on the stone, or the certificate?

 

[casey_zia]

The altar stone in question was consecrated by the Right Rev. Mgr. Canon H. Gibney, Vicar General. The date has faded away. I tried to google the name (but didn’t persist in the search), and I’m going to talk with the parish staff in the next few days.

 

[malphono]

The altar stone in question was consecrated by the Right Rev. Mgr. Canon H. Gibney, Vicar General. The date has faded away. I tried to google the name (but didn’t persist in the search), and I’m going to talk with the parish staff in the next few days.

I notice the delegated consecrator was a Canon. Which leads to a question: outside of Québec, have there ever been Cathedral Chapters in Canada? Or is this in Québec?

 

[JesuXPIPassio]

The altar stone in question was consecrated by the Right Rev. Mgr. Canon H. Gibney, Vicar General. The date has faded away. I tried to google the name (but didn’t persist in the search), and I’m going to talk with the parish staff in the next few days.

I thought altar stones could only be consecrated by Bishops.

I’m curious, how come it seems like these don’t get recycled? I read an article about parishes closing and the Chancery having a collection of altar stones, and they may never know whose relics are in them, so it sounds as if they just don’t get used again, which is a shame. Can’t these at least be broken open so the relics inside could be used? It’s such a waste for these to sit in archives collecting dust.

 

[casey_zia]

I thought altar stones could only be consecrated by Bishops.

The certificate of consecration named this “Right Rev. Mgr. Canon”, Vicar General as a delegate of the bishop of Southwark. Our parish was originally a mission parish (O.M.I.), which might have had an impact on how and from where we got this stone.

 

[Spirithound]

The certificate of consecration named this “Right Rev. Mgr. Canon”, Vicar General as a delegate of the bishop of Southwark. Our parish was originally a mission parish (O.M.I.), which might have had an impact on how and from where we got this stone.

Does it give the name of the Bishop of Southwark?

 

[casey_zia]

Does it give the name of the Bishop of Southwark?

No, just the Msg. Canon, “delegated by His Lordship the Bishop of Southwark.” Am mostly interested in who does these consecrations, and where the relics come from. Someone today told me the relics for altar stones are usually from the martyrs of the early Church.

 

[Spirithound]

No, just the Msg. Canon, “delegated by His Lordship the Bishop of Southwark.” Am mostly interested in who does these consecrations, and where the relics come from. Someone today told me the relics for altar stones are usually from the martyrs of the early Church.

Any bishop has the power to consecrate an altar stone. Ordinarily, this is reserved to the bishop, but the Holy See grants the privilege to priests in missionary territories. This could be how the altar-stone-in-question could have come to be, but the question still remains of why the Bishop of Southwark is granting the privilege, and not the Pope, or a Curial Congregation, or even the Archbishop of Quebec.

The relics are to be from 2 martyrs (early Church, or more recently).

newadvent.org/cathen/04276a.htm (scroll down to Consecration of an altar-stone)

This is from the Catholic Encyclopedia 1917, and so may not be current, but it will be from the era you are looking for.

 

[zab]

By definition, an altar stone has a relic in it.

The relics may have been removed before storing them.

 

[mary_bobo]

It is nice to know whose relics are in the altar stone. No one knows what relics are in the one at my parish. The stone is there but no one knows about it.

 

[malphono]

Any bishop has the power to consecrate an altar stone. Ordinarily, this is reserved to the bishop, but the Holy See grants the privilege to priests in missionary territories. This could be how the altar-stone-in-question could have come to be, but the question still remains of why the Bishop of Southwark is granting the privilege, and not the Pope, or a Curial Congregation, or even the Archbishop of Quebec.

Perhaps because it was consecrated in England? I suppose it’s possible that the consecrated stone was hand-carried by a priest from England who had set-sail for Canada, perhaps with the intent or mandate to build a church there. Even though Canada was (mainly because of Québec and parts of the Maritimes) not considered “mission territory” in the strict sense, parts of it certainly did (and I gather that some areas still do) fit the bill.