Q: I visited my former parish where I was pastor, and I was surprised that the big cross at the back of the altar was removed, and replaced by a huge painting of the patron saint of the parish. It is so imposing and occupies the full back of the altar  that nothing else can be focused on, if not this painting.
I was told that it was done that way to raise the awareness of the parishioners about their patron saint. Is not this a distraction to concentrate on the altar?

==

A: It could be a distraction, but more likely this is going to end up being a matter of taste.

GIRM 299 says, “the altar should occupy a place where it is truly the center toward which the attention of the whole congregation of the faithful naturally turns.”

GIRM 318 says that images of the saints “should be displayed for veneration by the faithful and should be so arranged so as to lead the faithful toward the mysteries of faith celebrated there. Care should, therefore, be taken that their number not be increased indiscriminately, and moreover that they be arranged in proper order so as not to draw the attention of the faithful to themselves and away from the celebration itself.”

But you could use these citations to argue against putting the Chair of Peter against the apse wall of the Vatican basilica, or the Last Judgment behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel.

It’s going to be a judgment call.

View All Blog Posts | Explore Books | Submit a Blog Question | Share Post via Email