The Cathedral
of saint john the evangelist

The altar is both the table of the paschal sacrifice and of the Eucharistic banquet. As the symbol of Christ second only to the gathered assembly of the baptized, it calls for a prominent and central location. Situated as it is in the midst of the assembly, the cathedral altar is the focus of the action of the Body of Christ gathered around it at God’s invitation. It signifies the presence of Christ in the midst of the celebrating community, who comes to be nourished at the Eucharistic celebration.

Standing on a predella or platform of Tennessee marble, the altar of the cathedral is situated as the center and focal point of the cathedral. Its mensa or tabletop is a great almost six foot square slab of marble fashioned in Italy and set on a base made from the tops and columns of the cathedral’s former devotional altars.