Q: Good evening! I am a longtime reader of your blog and books and thought I would submit my first question. My parish is celebrating its hundredth this year. Our pastor wondering if there was any reason behind doing a sort of rededication of the altar? Is there anyway to somewhat mimic that right without it appearing to be a whole new dedication? Any other ideas you may have heard about these types of anniversaries would be appreciated!
Thank you!
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A: Thanks for following my work and for your question. Congratulations to your parish!
I would not recommend any rededication of the altar. Its original dedication is permanent, and you wouldn’t want to cast any doubt about that. However, it would be appropriate to adorn the altar and to incense it at the appropriate times.
There is often a difference between the anniversary of the founding of a parish and the anniversary of the dedication of the parish church. If you’re celebrating the parish, then the event has more to do with the generations of faith and the present community of people who carry on the legacy. If you’re celebrating the anniversary of dedication, then you use the appropriate texts among the Masses for Various Needs and Occasions in the Missal and in the Lectionary.