Altars/relics

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It was my understanding…we were taught as children studying Catechism that every Altar had a relic inside it…is this still the case…with the rather table looking altar where Mass is offered…tks
 
awsiukiewicz said:
It was my understanding…we were taught as children studying Catechism that every Altar had a relic inside it…is this still the case…with the rather table looking altar where Mass is offered…tks
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Yes that is still the case, each consecrated church has a relic placed in the altar. Normally they are hidden from view. Others in Basilicas and very old churches have them more visible.
 
Canon law no longer requires a relic to be in the altar, though it’s a laudable practice.
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From an older thread in this forum. The fathers on Web of Faith recently had a question about this and also confirmed that this is no longer mandatory, although laudable, if authentic relics are available…
 
^^^.
Yes, sadly our church does not have a relic.
And my parish a few parishes ago only got a relic of St. Therese of Lisieux about 15 years after the church was built. A plaque on the wall describes the tiny bit of tibia.
I feel like many parishes in this Archdiocese don’t have them, but I could be mistaken. :hmmm:
 
I was privileged to attend the Dedication Mass for a new parish church in Tanzania.

Part of the ceremony was the installation of a relic into the altar. In the case of this particular parish, the relic was that of St. Maria Goretti.

There is a dicastery in Rome where bishops can request such relics for use in altars.
 
Yes.
Many parishes can’t get a relic of their Patron though, so I suppose that could be a reason they forego it.
Our last Parish “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” had relics of two completely unknown martyrs, God bless them. If the good Monsignor had not made a point of preaching about it once a year no one would have ever remembered who they were or where the relics came from. As it is, I couldn’t tell you who they were.
***But yes, it would be fabulous if every altar had relics. It’s a very beautiful practice. ***
 
youtube.com/watch?v=sMCMVUBS6QQ

Here they are installing the altar relic of St. Vibiana at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles in 2002. Interesting that it is placed in the floor below the altar. I’ve been there many times, and did not know it was there. There is a larger reliquary for St. Vibiana which looks like a marble coffin, below the cathedral in the mausoleum, too.

My home parish here in Los Angeles obtained its altar relic from Rome back in the early 1950s.
 
Can the altar stone relic be reused if a church is deconsecrated and a new church is in need of one? I have heard the altar stones are buried when a church is deconsecrated.
 
Sirach2 said:
From an older thread in this forum. The fathers on Web of Faith recently had a question about this and also confirmed that this is no longer mandatory, although laudable, if authentic relics are available…
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If the altar is fixed it remains a requirement to have a relic.

Can. 1237 §1 Fixed altars are to be dedicated, movable ones either dedicated or blessed, according to the rites prescribed in the liturgical books.

§2 The ancient tradition of placing relics of Martyrs or of other Saints within a fixed altar is to be retained, in accordance with the rites prescribed in the liturgical books.
 
thistle said:
If the altar is fixed it remains a requirement to have a relic.

Can. 1237 §1 Fixed altars are to be dedicated, movable ones either dedicated or blessed, according to the rites prescribed in the liturgical books.

§2 The ancient tradition of placing relics of Martyrs or of other Saints within a fixed altar is to be retained, in accordance with the rites prescribed in the liturgical books.
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How about writing to WebofFaith@EWTN.com. Both priests affirmed within the last week or two that this is no longer mandated. Apparently, the new liturgical books that were issued after this Canon Law of 1983 was published, have further clarification. These would take precedence over the older Canon.
 
The biggest change in this area regards the use of “portable altar stones.” These, while regularly used in the past, are not countenanced anymore. Neither is the use of small relics (reliquaries of the quarter or half-dollar size) of various saints.

The Code of Canon Law has been referenced. Here is what the Rite of Dedication of a Church/Altar says, in chapter 4:
  1. It is fitting to continue the tradition in the Roman liturgy of placing relics of martyrs or other saints beneath the altar. But the following should be noted.
    a) Such relics should be of a size sufficient for them to be recognizable as parts of human bodies. Hence excessively small relics of one or more saints must not be placed beneath an altar.
    b) The greatest care must be taken to determine whether the relics in question are authentic.
    It is better for an altar to be dedicated without relics than to have relics of doubtful authenticity placed beneath it.
    c) A reliquary must not be placed on the altar or set into the table of the altar, but placed beneath the table of the altar, as the design of the altar permits. liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/Rites/RDCA.pdf
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This document is from 1977 and has not been revised since (unless I missed it, somehow). The most recent “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” (n. 302) reiterates some of what is said above and in the Code…nothing new.

It’s clear that the Church wishes fixed altars to have substantial relics “beneath” it, not small ones right in the altar stone itself (as was so common in the past).

Dan
 
dans0622 said:
The biggest change in this area regards the use of “portable altar stones.” These, while regularly used in the past, are not countenanced anymore. Neither is the use of small relics (reliquaries of the quarter or half-dollar size) of various saints.

The Code of Canon Law has been referenced. Here is what the Rite of Dedication of a Church/Altar says, in chapter 4:

This document is from 1977 and has not been revised since (unless I missed it, somehow). The most recent “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” (n. 302) reiterates some of what is said above and in the Code…nothing new.

It’s clear that the Church wishes fixed altars to have substantial relics “beneath” it, not small ones right in the altar stone itself (as was so common in the past).

Dan
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Seems like this is the most likely reason why it’s seldom seen around here anymore. 🤷
If one wants someone specific…it would be difficult to obtain one, despite the office that handles this.
 
dans0622 said:
The biggest change in this area regards the use of “portable altar stones.” These, while regularly used in the past, are not countenanced anymore. Neither is the use of small relics (reliquaries of the quarter or half-dollar size) of various saints.

The Code of Canon Law has been referenced. Here is what the Rite of Dedication of a Church/Altar says, in chapter 4:

This document is from 1977 and has not been revised since (unless I missed it, somehow). The most recent “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” (n. 302) reiterates some of what is said above and in the Code…nothing new.

It’s clear that the Church wishes fixed altars to have substantial relics “beneath” it, not small ones right in the altar stone itself (as was so common in the past).
Dan
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I would need to have clarification from Fr. Tragilio on this, since he indicated it is not absolutely mandatory to have a relic, as was the past custom. Perhaps he was speaking about regulation from the liturgical books referenced in Canon 1237. Since I do not have one, I cannot check, but I do trust that, since their broadcast affects millions of Catholics who view their program, they would be very cautious about speaking the truth.

I remember attending a number of liturgies, such as on pilgrimage, that used portable altars and these do not contain a relic. I would think that if the regulation was mandatory, these situations would need to be remedied to be in compliance. However, maybe there is a provision in the aforementioned liturgical books.

Thanks for the update.
 
How wonderful! You are so blessed to have this selection from very holy saints.
 
Every trad follows to a “T” whatever Fr. Z writes. This is getting complicated. :ouch:
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal in 302, that the tradition of depositing relics of the saints under a dedicated altar is to be retained. The clear preference is for the depositions of significant and decent sized relics which can be identified and certified.

It is no longer a requirement for the liceity of the Holy Mass that it be offered on a dedicated altar with a relic deposited in it.
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I’m now believing this second paragraph is what I heard from Fr. Tragilio on Web of Faith. So it is still not a settled issue, but folks, does it really matter to belabor this? The sense I take from it, is that it would be nice if they can be obtained and certified, but it is not mandated to have them.
 
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