SWEETEST HEART OF MARY / Lower Main Altar
Photographer: Jann Soltis
2/23/01
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The Lower Main Altar

Positioned a bit lower on the main altar, starting with the Gospel Side, are the statues of St. James the Great, St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. James the Less. Located just above the tabernacle, a result of subsequent remodeling, is a marble tabloid of the Crucifixion. From the height of the tabernacle to the base, this main altar was covered with marble in the late 1930s (in the days of Monsignor Grupa), unfortunately not complying strictly with the original design.

The new Altar of Sacrifice, positioned in the forefront of the sanctuary, is a creation of the artistic skill of the former pastor, Rev. Bohdan Kosicki. The frontal panel was found discarded in the basement of the Cathedral; the sides are pew panels found in the church. They were fitted into a skillful blend so that the carved panels unite to form an altar that is completely har monious with its Gothic setting. This new altar table rests upon a platform that was built so that the celebrant of the liturgy would be in full view.

Three high windows, which are purely functional and decorative, light up the sanctuary which faces east (as it should, according to millennial tradition). Compared to the vast area in the nave, the sanctuary actually does not occupy much space.

In the angles of the projection of the transept from these side altars are broad niches. In the one in the north transept is an altar dedicated to St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary. Near it is a picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a statue of the Infant of Prague, and a statue of St. Anthony. In the angle of the south transept there is an altar dedicated to St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus. In its immediate vicinity is another statue of St. Joseph and one of St. Francis of Assisi. A huge cross with the crucified Christ, a remembrance of a mission conducted by the Vincentian Fathers from May 15 to May 29, 1927, in the pastorate of Bishop Plagens, is secured to the first pillar in the right frontal area of the sanctuary.