Q: I recently read in a catholic book titled “The Mass” copyrighted in 1925 with an Imprimatur…. and I quote “that a priest must always have with him the altar stone in order to say Mass. Five things he can never dispense with: namely the altar stone, water, wine, chalice and bread.”
To add context to the quote, it was followed up with stories about World War I, frontline army chaplains as well as about frontier priests on horseback ” a Priest who has to ride across the plains to far-off missions carries all his needs in the saddle”, creating the expression… “carrying one’s sacristy in his saddlebag” .
Are there rules mandating the use of an altar stone for temporary/makeshift altars used for a mass outside of a Church? For example, a small open-air mass at a local city park held before a church picnic as well as the altars used on the battlefield and/or mission trips in remote places?
Thank you in advance for the clarification!
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A: That is no longer required. GIRM 301 says, “A movable altar may be constructed of any noble and solid material suited to liturgical use, according to the traditions and usages of the different regions.” It makes no mention of a required stone.
That said, the table put to use in any such celebration needs to be a place of dignity in keeping with the liturgical actions.