Our Church, Our Altar

If your parish is planning the dedication of a new church and altar, this book will help prepare the whole community for the celebration. It addresses other occasions as well: The laying of a cornerstone, the blessing of a chapel, and the blessing of a new chalice and paten, for example. All of these rituals rely on a rich diet of biblical passages. This unique book will guide you through a meditation on these passages as they pertain to the ceremonies that you will experience.

Our Church, Our Altar will also help you prepare for each anniversary of the dedication of your parish church. You may meditate on the readings yourself, with your family, or with a prayer group. The spiritual reflections in this book will help you to prepare for special celebrations happening within your community of faith.

Paul Turner is pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri and director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. He holds a doctorate in sacred theology from Sant' Anselmo in Rome. His publications include: Ars Celebrandi: Celebrating and Concelebrating Mass, The Stations of the Cross in Atonement for Abuse and for the Healing of All, Glory in the Cross, Let Us Pray, Inseparable Love, One Love, Whose Mass Is It? Light in the Darkness, and When Other Christians Become Catholic published by Liturgical Press. He is a contributor to Give Us This Day.