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| Bishop Robert C. Morlino blesses the reredos and altar at St. John the Baptist Church in Montello on June 24 — the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash) |
MONTELLO — The 2015 celebration of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist took on a special meaning at the church named for him in Montello.
During the Mass for its patron saint, Bishop Robert C. Morlino blessed the church’s altar and reredos, which were installed last December.
The structure was built to house the tabernacle in the church; it was installed just in time for Christmas Masses.
Adding beauty to church
“Now it’s in place and everyone who sees it says they can understand why I was so excited to get it in. They absolutely love it,” St. John the Baptist Pastor Fr. Tim Renz said earlier this year.
He added, “Our churches should be beautiful. Not only does it give Our Lord the praise and glory that is His due, but it also helps us to worship Him, pointing us to the transcendent.”
The altar is made of cherry, with an inset cross made out of dark walnut. It functions as a beautiful home for the tabernacle and as an altar, so that if priests want to celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Mass there, they could.
Life of St. John the Baptist
As Mass began, Bishop Morlino thanked everyone for coming. He called them “the living stones who come out on a beautiful day in the evening to celebrate your patron, St. John the Baptist, whose feast day this is and a perfect day for us all to be together.”
He remarked on the “new beauty that’s been added to the church” in the new altar.
During his homily, Bishop Morlino reflected on the life of John the Baptist and how it applies to the parish today.
Prior to Jesus’ public ministry, John the Baptist had to tell everyone “I am not the messiah.” He could have “competed” with Jesus as a preacher had he wanted to, but he didn’t. He took on the role of pointing others to Jesus, saying “I must decrease. He must increase.”
Bishop Morlino continued saying, “With the blessing of this new setting for the Blessed Sacrament, you are saying, with your leader Father Tim, to the Lord, ‘I must decrease, you must increase.”
“John the Baptist would be so pleased with you,” Bishop Morlino told those in attendance and congratulated them “on this accomplishment for the greater glory of God.”
Following the Prayers of the Faithful, Bishop Morlino blessed the altar with holy water and incense.
During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the bishop consecrated the body and blood of Christ ad orientem, or “to the east,” facing the altar.
Following Mass, a reception was held to celebrate the special day.
For more information on St. John the Baptist Parish, go to www.marquettecountycatholic.org