Consecration
The Consecration of
Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church
Toms River, New Jersey
Sunday October 24, 2010
My beloved in Christ,
On the weekend of October 23 and 24 2010, our Parish family will experience something that most people never have the opportunity to experience-the Consecration of our Saint Barbara Church. Faithful from throughout the Metropolis of New Jersey will gather during these days to pray and participate in the Consecration of Saint Barbara Church, which will be celebrated by our spiritual father, Metropolitan Evangelos. The dedication or consecration of the temple of worship is one of the most ancient rites of the Christian church dating back to the fourth century A.D. The Greek translation of the word “consecration” is “engainia” which literally means “renewal.” To consecrate a church building means to set it apart for exclusive use as a temple of worship. Just as persons are spiritually renewed and regenerated at the time of their baptism and chrismation (confirmation), filled with the Holy Spirit and pledged to live the new life in Christ, in like manner a building is set apart for use as a house of worship on the day of its Consecration. Once a person accepts the Christian faith, he or she does so forever. Once a church building is consecrated, it must remain a place of Christian worship as long as it exists.
By its very nature as well as by many of the prayers and ritual acts that constitute it, the dedication or consecration of the church is connected to those rites found in the Old Testament celebrated by Moses and Solomon. This custom or tradition of dedicating an Altar to the service of God has an indirect connection with the practice of the Jews which we find in the Second Book of Chronicles in the Old Testament (II Chronicles, 6:14-42; 7:1, 10, 11-89).
The central and most important part of the Church, which is the Holy Altar, is blessed and sanctified by the ritual of the Consecration. According to Nikolaos Cabasilas: “the purpose of the Holy Mysteries is this: to prepare us for the true life…the altar is the starting point for every rite, whether it be to communicate or to receive Chrism, as well as to administer Holy Orders and the perfections of Baptism…(the altar is) the foundation or root of the Sacraments…” Symeon of Thessalonica emphasizes the same point:
Just as a bishop or priest is needed to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, and a bishop to celebrate Holy Orders and the Sacrament of Chrism, in like manner these rites have need of an altar for the altar is the church; for it is on the altar that the Liturgy and Holy Orders and the Chrism takes place… Through the altar the church is made holy; for without an altar there can be no church, but only a House of Prayer…it is not the Tabernacle of God’s glory, nor His dwelling place…nor can the divine gifts be offered on its Table…
It is then, primarily, the establishment of a true altar which concerns the Consecration ceremony. According to the description of our sources, we can enumerate eight main divisions of this rite:
1. The Preparation of the Holy Relics.
2. The Procession of the Holy Relics.
3. The Deposition of the Holy Relics.
4. The Washing of the Altar.
5. The Anointing of the Altar with Holy Chrism.
6. The Vesting of the Altar.
7. The Anointing of the Church.
8. The Lighting of the Vigil Light.
The Consecration of Saint Barbara Church is an once-in-a-lifetime event in the history of our parish. It is therefore vitally important that we spiritually prepare ourselves for this ancient and powerfully moving service. Please take some quiet time together as a family to read and meditate upon the following explanation. This explanation will explore each liturgical action during the Consecration Service, and will discuss both their outward forms as well as their inward symbolisms.
With love in Christ,
+Father Paul G. Pappas
Proistamenos
The Consecration Service
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