“From the Archives” — Basilica of Saint Mary Altars

One of Saint Mary’s distinctive features is the presence of two beautiful marble altars in the sanctuary: the altar of repose, which supports the Tabernacle; and the main altar, used for the celebration of the Mass.

The main altar, made of Italian marble, is the church’s original altar, installed in 1857 and dedicated by Archbishop Kendrick of Baltimore on May 30, 1858. At that time, the priest offered Mass ad orientum, facing East, toward Jerusalem. In the 1960s, when the Catholic Church decreed Masses should be offered with the priest facing the congregation (ad populum or to the people), Saint Mary encountered the daunting task of moving its massive marble altar away from the back wall and into the sanctuary. For a number of years, a large wooden table was placed in the sanctuary for Mass, in front of the old altar. Monsignor Frank J. Hendrick (pastor 1981-1991) made a major structural renovation in the 1980s because ground water was seeping into the wall behind the altar. He used that occasion to move the marble altar to its present location in the center of the sanctuary. A large, white wooden altar replaced it at the sanctuary wall to support the tabernacle.

When Father Dennis Kleinmann (pastor, 2004-2015) renovated the interior of the church in 2010, he felt the altar supporting the tabernacle, which houses the Eucharistic Christ, also should be marble. He commissioned a new Italian marble altar to compliment the older, main altar. A heart pierced by a crown of thorns, in the center, is the only symbol on this elegantly simple altar. The heart and thorns symbolize Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. The flames above the heart represent His burning love for us; the cross above the flames symbolizes Jesus’ triumph over death. This traditional symbol was very popular with the Jesuits who served Saint Mary in its early years.

The original, main altar features a recumbent lamb, the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), an ancient symbol representing Jesus’ sacrifice and death, and is accompanied by the fallen cross, indicating His victory over death. This symbol is appropriate since this altar is where Jesus’ sacrifice is made present in the sacrifice of every Mass.

— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian