Did you know?

Did you know there is a miniature church sitting on the altar which holds the reserved consecrated Gifts for the sick and those unable to commune on Sunday?  Did you know that the light you see always burning on the altar is called the presence lamp, and that it is there to remind us that Christ is physically present upon that altar always?  Did you know we bow and cross ourselves when we enter the church, pass in front of the altar, and leave the church in order to acknowledge and reverence that we are standing in the presence of Christ every time we enter the church?  Did you know there is a beautiful golden silk cloth with an icon of Christ in the tomb called the antimins, and it is upon this the Gifts are placed when they are being consecrated?  Did you know that the Gospel book has an icon of the crucifixion on the front, and the Resurrection on the back, and that the back is always placed up on Sunday since we are taking part in the Resurrection every Sunday?  Did you know there is a "star" that is placed over the bread before it is consecrated?  I spent the last few weeks creating the cards for our altar works for the Level 2 children in our catechesis, and these are just a few of the things these children will be coming to understand in the atrium.  It has been such a joy to experience working with these older ones, they bring a different kind of delight into the atrium.