FULLERTON – The scent of incense drifted through the sanctuary of St. Joseph Church in Fullerton as hundreds of parishioners gathered on the final day of May for a rare and symbolic moment in the life of their parish. On Holy Trinity Sunday, Archbishop William E. Lori consecrated the church’s new altar, marking the completion of a major sanctuary renovation that capped a three-year parish campaign.
Presiding over the rite, Archbishop Lori asked the Lord to sanctify the altar as a place where, through God’s gift of the Eucharist, “Heaven meets Earth.”
“As the Holy Spirit descends on this altar, bread and wine, it is not something we do for God,” Archbishop Lori told those gathered. “Rather, it is a gift to us, this altar. This altar is a meeting place of Heaven and Earth.”
Cut from Jerusalem limestone and imported from the Holy Land, the altar serves as the centerpiece of the final phase of a $2.5 million parish-funded restoration campaign known as “Building on the Past, with Hope Toward the Future.”
“We really loved that connection with our Lord,” said Father Jesse Bolger, pastor. “This stone that’s millions of years old can now be used for the altar sacrifice firstly. But it’s also used for where the tabernacle sits. That’s actually 2,400 pounds of stone – these three slabs of Jerusalem limestone – just for the tabernacle.
Some of the stone was also used in the ambo, Father Bolger said.
The consecration took place after the Liturgy of the Word and before the Eucharistic Prayer. In one of the Church’s most solemn and infrequently witnessed rites, chrism oil and incense were used to sanctify the altar, the place where ordinary gifts of bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ.
“May the Lord by his power sanctify this altar,” Archbishop Lori prayed, “so it may express the mystery of Christ and the Church.”
The archbishop spread sacred chrism across the limestone surface with the palm of his hand, slowly moving around the altar until every part had been anointed. The congregation stood in silence as the rite unfolded.
Following the anointing, incense was burned atop the altar while Father Bolger blessed the clergy and congregation with incense. Altar servers and parishioners then wiped away the excess oil with fresh linen cloths.
The altar was next vested in a white altar cloth and adorned with candles on either side. A crucifix was placed at its center. The solemnity of the moment gave way to jubilation as the parish choir delivered a stirring rendition of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Archbishop Lori prayed that the offering of incense would rise before God, “so that your church may be fragrant with the aroma of Christ.”
The altar and sanctuary renovation were made possible through the efforts of many parishioners, including architect Don Smith, who helped guide the project from conception to completion. Smith reflected on the possibility that the parish’s patron saint may have had a hand in the work.
“He was a carpenter, you know,” he said. “Maybe that did have an effect.”
The contractor for the project was Miller Church Interiors of Pennsylvania.
The sanctuary also bears witness to another connection with the church’s past. Embedded within the altar and tabernacle area is a relic of St. Victorian and his companions, North African martyrs of the late fifth century.
According to Father Bolger, Victorian and fellow Catholics suffered persecution under the Arian Vandal King Huneric because they remained faithful to the Nicene Creed and refused to deny the Holy Trinity. When pressured to renounce his faith, Victorian reportedly answered: “I trust in Christ. You may condemn me to any torments, but I shall never consent to renounce the Catholic Church in which I was baptized.”
Two brothers, two wealthy merchants, a physician and his wife were martyred alongside Victorian, while Catholic children endured daily scourging. Their relics now rest near the newly consecrated altar.
Father Bolger, who will soon leave St. Joseph to become pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City, reflected on the significance of the occasion as the Mass concluded.
“What a powerful rite that most of us haven’t seen before,” he said as the congregation applauded. “(It’s the) culmination of a three-year campaign. It’s become a glorious temple in honor of the Lord.”
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