The new altar in the little rock church was constructed in the mission style both to reflect history and the style of the building, said Father Martin Diaz, St. Therese's pastor. However, the symbolism of the altar traces back to the early days of the Church.
"The tradition of consecrating or dedicating an altar is very old within the Christian tradition, and some of that goes back ... to the time of when Eucharist was celebrated on the tombs of the martyrs," said Timothy Johnston, liturgical director for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.
The altar is symbolic of several things, he said. "Probably the predominant one is the body of Christ itself. That Christ himself is the altar and that we come to the altar to be fed, and we are fed through Christ and in Christ."
A secondary image is that of the altar as the table of the Lord at which we gather, he said; dedicating the altar is a way to set it aside for the Eucharist.
Because the altar is a sacred object, during the dedication it's slathered with chrism oil. "The altar table itself is made holy through the ritual action of the consecration, but the prayer of the people, the actual gathering and celebrating of the Eucharist around it, is ultimately what makes it holy," Johnston said
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