Bishop Beckman consecrates the new altar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The East Tennessee Catholic
As the universal Church prepared to celebrate the feast of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) and marked the memorial of St. Ambrose on Dec. 7, the second Sunday of Advent, Bishop Mark Beckman celebrated yet another first as the shepherd of the Diocese of Knoxville.
The bishop consecrated his first altar as Our Lady of Perpetual Help officially completed the restoration of its sanctuary.
Bishop Beckman was joined by OLPH pastor Father Arthur Torres and associate pastor Father Andrew Crabtree in observing the sacred moment in the history of the Chattanooga church.
Deacon Dennis Meinert assisted at the Mass as deacon of the Word and the Eucharist.
Bishop Mark Beckman consecrates the new altar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga on Dec. 7. Assisting the bishop are Father Andrew Crabtree, center, and Father Arthur Torres. (Photo courtesy Robert Jones/Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish)
“Beloved brothers and sisters, we have gathered here with joy today to dedicate a new altar by celebrating the Lord’s sacrifice. Let us join in these sacred rites with fervent hearts, listening to God’s Word with faith and sharing joyfully at the Lord’s table. Let us raise our hearts toward the blessed hope that as we come together at one altar, we draw nearer to Christ, the living stone in whom we grow into a holy temple,” Bishop Beckman said.
Bishop Beckman began Mass by blessing the congregation, sprinkling the nave with holy water and then the sanctuary, where the new altar rested with no altar cloth, candles, cross, or the Book of Gospels.
Those would adorn the altar immediately after the consecration.
In his homily, Bishop Beckman quoted from the prophet Isaiah, “Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight a path for our God” — a call to repentance.
“And today so beautifully, we mark this occasion by consecrating for you a new altar, a beautiful symbol of Christ the Lord right here in our midst in which the great mystery of His dying and rising and the great paschal mystery become present every time the Eucharist is celebrated,” the bishop said.
He noted how it was so fitting that the Mass began by sprinkling the altar with blessed water—“a reminder that the great gateway into the life of the kingdom of God begins in water.”
He asked the congregation to think of John out along the Jordan River, noting that he must have been a “sensation” in his day, attracting people from all over Jerusalem, Judea, and throughout that region to hear his preaching.
“Something about his preaching moved people to go down into the waters of the Jordan River, a sign of repentance,” the bishop said. “And yet for us, who are Christians, there is more to it than that turning from sin. It is being immersed into the mystery of Christ Himself, baptized into His dying so that we can rise with Him.”
He noted that as part of being baptized to Christ, an integral part of that sacrament is being anointed with the sacred chrism.
Bishop Beckman recalled with joy when he was ordained the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville on July 26, 2024, that Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre anointed him with “an abundance” of chrism, the fragrance of which he still vividly remembers.
“I preached about this at our Chrism Mass. That is what God is like, such gracious abundance. The presence, and power, and grace of God transform us into a new creation. The fragrance of a new beginning,” the bishop said.
He then asked the congregation to engage in their own recollections.
“As we anoint the altar today, all of you are invited to remember that moment after baptism when your heads were marked with sacred chrism in the sign of the cross,” he said. “This is a day of joyful preparation to meet the Lord.”
The bishop assured OLPH members that great care would be taken in consecrating the new altar.
“But the real preparation always happens in the human heart. And it’s here that we take care during these days of Advent to prepare well for the coming of the Lord. For the great paschal mystery of Jesus dying and rising that unfolds on the altar is meant also to take place in our own hearts. We are to be so united with Jesus, but in dying with Him we rise to eternal life,” the bishop said. “Let us pray that this day will be for each and all of us here a day of great grace.”
Incense burns in a crucible on the new OLPH altar symbolizing the prayers of the faithful. Bishop Beckman is assisted by Father Andrew Crabtree, right. (Photo courtesy Robert Jones/Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish)
Bishop Beckman proceeded to anoint the new altar with holy chrism, carefully pouring the sacred oil in the center and four corners of the altar before covering with the chrism the entire surface of the altar with his hand.
Afterward, Father Torres and Father Crabtree carefully wiped the excess chrism from the surface and placed an altar cloth atop it.
Then the candles, the altar cross, and the Book of Gospels were carefully positioned in their rightful places before the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
Father Torres explained that relics that are placed into an altar that is being consecrated were already present under the new altar.
“It truly was a blessing for me to concelebrate this consecration of the altar Mass with the bishop because it brought back to me some beautiful memories when I was at the dedication of the new cathedral in Knoxville. I was one of the emcees for that dedication Mass at the time when it happened, and now, seeing my own parish having its altar being consecrated was indeed a holy moment,” Father Torres said.
“And also this is the first time Bishop Mark has consecrated an altar as a bishop. What a joy for him and for us at OLPH to experience such a unique moment that will stay with us forever,” Father Torres continued.
On Aug. 16, Bishop Beckman, Father Torres, and Father Crabtree joined members of OLPH in rededicating the church’s worship space.
The newly renovated sanctuary and nave have given new life to the church that was originally blessed on Sept. 8, 1938.
Bishop Beckman blessed the upgraded worship space, purifying the sanctuary with incense and sprinkling the nave with holy water as a nearly standing-room-only congregation participated.
The consecration of the new altar was an equally sacred and historic moment for the parish.
“Even for the young children that were there, it was very memorable. They made comments like, ‘Wow the church smells like perfume’ (yes, because of the holy chrism that bishop poured on the altar). Or, ‘Why did the bishop do that on the altar?’ Obviously they didn’t understand at the moment what was happening. But now for them it became clear that our altar was being consecrated for the celebration of Holy Mass,” Father Torres said.