St. Mary’s to dedicate a new main altar

Altar and ambo drawing

submitted by Bill Kwolek

From 1912 until 1972 the Catholic Mass at St. Mary’s Church in Manchester was said in Latin with the priest facing the altar and tabernacle against the sanctuary wall. When the Vatican authorized the Mass to be celebrated in native languages, it also approved priests to face the congregation when offering Mass. So Manchester Catholics dedicated a second, free-standing main altar. For over a half century, this altar served us well. As decades passed, parishioners, pastors, and altar boys just took it for granted—except one.

A young altar server named Bud Ball envisioned building a new, more elegant altar. As an adult, Bud’s dream grew in detail. Skilled in carpentry, he now had the equipment to convert his idea into reality. He acquired rough-cut black walnut and transformed his mental images into engineering drawings. After presenting the new altar design to the parish and gaining the needed support, the design was approved by the Diocese of Lansing, and Bud got to work.

Constructing a completely finished altar from rough wooden planks requires hundreds of hours. The project also included a new matching ambo (pulpit). Bud’s desire to serve God and Manchester’s Catholics attracted the help he needed to complete the project on a tight schedule. About 30 volunteers helped in various tasks such as skilled labor, supplying materials, clerical services, financial support, and a great amount of needed encouragement. Without such generosity, the job would have been overwhelming. 

Bishop Earl Boyea with Fr. Bosco will formally dedicate the new altar at St. Mary’s Church on Sunday, June 16, at the 10:30am Mass. The Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the assembly of his faithful—the Last Supper table, where Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and dined together with his Apostles before undergoing his Passion. 

Manchester residents interested in seeing our new altar and ambo are invited to visit the church or attend the dedication.

Bishop Earl Boyea

Construction photo

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.