The Sanctuary
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Bernardine Church
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Since the Second Vatican Council, our sanctuary, like many in the world, has two altars. The call to have the priest face the congregation with whom he is celebrating the Mass was easier said than done.
Another issue was the tabernacle, which was usually located in the center of the high altar. There was a basic contradiction in the practice of celebrating the Mass right in front of the altar where the Holy Eucharist was in repose. The Eucharist in reservation had initially started so that the sick could receive communion in time of death. Later on, when people got away from the regular receiption of the Eucharist at Mass, it became an object of adoration. As the practice arose of focusing more and more on the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, in repose in the tabernacle, the tabernacle, and the altar on which it was placed, began to be given more decorations. So there would be the priest praying the Mass, celebrating the coming of the Lord in the Eucharist in front of the Blessed Sacrament, where the Lord was already present. So the liturgical renewal of Vatican II called for there to be an altar of sacrifice, separate from an altar that held the tabernacle. It was considered ideal to have the Blessed Sacrament reserved in a chapel removed from where the Mass was celebrated, but many churches like ours really did not have such a separate room. The compromise was to leave the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle on the high altar, and place the altar of sacrifice closer to the congregation, in the front of the sanctuary.
From Father Pat Tucker, The Chimes, February 7, 1999, Chimes, 3
The tabernacle on the "high" altar has the word "Sanctus" etched into the transcept. … The center panel has the figure of a lamb. The lamb is also on the altar of sacrifice.
The altar of sacrifice recalls the altar where animals were sacrificed in the Jerusalem temple and the sacrifice was burned (called a holocaust). The altar also recalls the table of the last supper and becomes a table of fellowship where we share the body and blood of Jesus. The altar also suggests the burial place of Christ since his body would have been placed on a shelf or ledge.
Fr. Pat Tucker, The Chimes, February 14, 1999, 3.
The Crucifix with Corpus
 |
Above the altar is a huge wood-carved crucifix donated by the Perpetual Help Mothers Club. Behind the grillwork is the original choir loft. |
The Phoenix
At the foot of the huge crucifix in the sanctuary there are two identical wood-carved emblems in the two wood panels above the high altar. This emblem, resembling an eagle, is a legendary bird called the Phoenix. The symbolism of the phoenix is two-fold. It represents on the one hand the Resurrection of Our Lord and it also signifies the fact that those who fall asleep in Christ shall rise again to the newness of eternal life.(5)
The
Chimes, April 7, 1940, Chimes, 5