Q: Thank you for all your responses and sharing them with all of us!
I am visiting my family and recently went to Mass at a parish where they have placed a large (4 or 5 foot) statue of Mary in front of the altar on a table. The statue is just left of center, and it is about 5 feet in front of the altar. There are votive candles for the faithful to light in front of it. The statue blocks the view of the altar from the faithful sitting in part of the left-side pews.
What are the guidelines governing decoration of the altar and the correct placement of statues? I understand that the priest has a strong devotion to Mary, but this just seems inappropriate.
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A: The rubrics say that people and objects should not block the view of the faithful. For example, GIRM 307 speaks about candles. The same would apply to statues. Candles are to be placed where “the faithful may not be impeded from a clear view of what takes place at the altar or what is placed upon it.”
The altar is not the priest’s altar. It is the altar of sacrifice at which all the faithful, sharing in the common priesthood, offer themselves to God.