A New Tabernacle For Our Church

I remember a number of parishioners commenting about how they enjoyed the improved landscaping in the front of the Church and along the walkway to the parking lots shortly after I first arrived. I believe that our campus as well as our Church is a wonderful place to spend time in prayer and ministry, a space that we should be grateful to Almighty God to have. I wanted to share with you another opportunity we have to add to the beauty and, more importantly, to the reverence of our worship space. This month, we are commencing a special endeavor to commission a new tabernacle for the Church and relocate it into the sanctuary (up behind the altar).

As you may know, the altar and the tabernacle are the focal points of a Church. The Church teaches that the tabernacle should be located in a place that fosters our belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This belief in the Real Presence is deepened by our often and sustained silent adoration of the Lord before and after Mass. Every time we enter the worship space, we should genuflect (bend one knee to the ground) as a sign of reverence and adoration to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle. This is why it is so important that the tabernacle should be located in an especially worthy place in a church.

The Church also teaches that the Most Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a tabernacle that is ?truly noble, prominent, readily visible, beautifully decorated and suitable for prayer.? The new tabernacle will be custom made. Because of the size of our congregational space, we need a tabernacle that is larger than the standard dimensions of a prefabricated one. With a custom tabernacle, we also get to design some features that will be unique to our parish identity. The door of a tabernacle usually has a relief of a scene from the Bible. Our new tabernacle will have a relief of the Epiphany, a scene of the Three Kings? visitation to the Holy Family. We can also customize the size of the tabernacle so that it complements our worship space. It will be made of precious metal and plated in gold, all of which will add to its visibility, nobility and beauty.

I hope that you would feel as blessed as I do to be able to contribute to the new tabernacle and the associated expenses of relocating it in the sanctuary. Epiphany has a tradition of raising funds for special furnishings for the Church. We did this for both our church and chapel organs a few years back. I think it would be equally if not more appropriate to do so on this occasion.

It takes from three to four months to construct the tabernacle once the funds are raised. It is my prayer and hope that your and my participation in this praiseworthy endeavor will be a time of anticipatory grace and deepening of the faith of our parish community.