A Return for An Altar of Repose

Earlier this year, Fr. John Retar of the newly-formed St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church in Lorain, Ohio approached Henninger’s about moving his Altar of Repose and Tabernacle from the side chapel in the Church back to the main Sanctuary.  The Altar of Repose and Tabernacle had originally existed in the Sanctuary at the church that was previously known as St. John the Baptist until it was moved at some point in the 1980s.  Fr. Retar wanted to re-install the Altar of Repose and Tabernacle to its original location and asked Henninger’s to assist him in this endeavor.

Here is the Sanctuary as it existed prior to the move, with the chairs in place at the top of the platform under the crucifix:

The Altar of Repose (which matched the Ambo, the Altar Rail, and Baptismal Font furniture in the main Sanctuary) can be seen here, in place in the Side Chapel:

While considering this move, Fr. Retar also found the original Tabernacle in a closet that once stood atop the Altar of Repose in the man Sanctuary prior to its removal:

Upon arrival, Henninger’s crew went to work disassembling the Altar of Repose in the Chapel and readying the Sanctuary to move the two pieces of marble (900 lbs. and 1,500 lbs.) atop the platform beneath the crucifix:

After removing the Altar of Repose from the Chapel and transporting the marble pieces up to the Sanctuary, Henninger’s replaced the Altar of Repose in the Chapel with a wood Altar of Repose that Fr. Retar wanted to use in the Chapel, continuing to utilize the Tabernacle that was in place in the Chapel:

The marble was moved into place atop the platform and the carpet on the top of the platform was cut as the scaffolding, I-beam, and chain fall allowed the crew to place the Altar of Repose back to its original location:

After securing the top of the Altar of Repose once more and adhering the Altar of Repose to the floor, the original Tabernacle was placed and secured on the Altar of Repose, just beneath the crucifix:

After the final clean-up, the movement was complete and the Altar of Repose and original Tabernacle were returned to the main Sanctuary, looking as if they had never left at all:

Sanctuary Renovation UP in Michigan

Henninger's recently finished an installation in Michigan's Upper Peninsula at Guardian Angels Church in Crystal Falls.  Fr. Jeffrey Kurtz made a trip to Cleveland on March 14th to visit Henninger's warehouse to brainstorm for his upcoming renovation.  What he found were two marble panels that inspired him.
These panels featured a crown of thorns and crosses in an inlaid mosaic.  With a little creativity and conversation, a concept for the new sanctuary began to take shape.  A simple design for a new altar of sacrifice and ambo made of Bottacino marble with these panels as centerpieces.

Fr. Kurtz headed back to Michigan feeling optimistic.  Next a few designs were made and sent back and forth and altar rails were added to the plan.  Upon approval of the design, cutting and polishing of marble began.  New slabs of Italian marble were used for the facing on the sanctuary furniture.

Henninger's crew went to work in the marble shop with plenty of heavy lifting and precise cuts.  A truck was loaded and headed up north for installation at the end of September. After a long drive, a week followed filled with placing marble and cutting and even more polishing.

The following pictures display the sanctuary at Guardian Angels before the new altar of sacrifice, ambo, and altar rails, then after the installation.  Fr. Kurtz was very pleased with the result and Henninger's crew was happy to serve such a friendly community in the Upper Peninsula.







 "We are very happy with it but it is incomplete... now we need side altars for Mary and St. Joseph." - Rev. Jeffrey Kurtz
Henninger's crew may be headed back to Michigan soon...

Additional photos can be seen here.

Beginning Anew

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