New Altar in St. Augustine’s Chapel Consecrated at Special Mass

The incense which billows out of the brazier and thurible signifies our prayer rising ‘like incense’ before the sight of God. 

Cardinal Collins praying the prayer of consecration

Cardinal Collins anoints the altar with Sacred Chrism.

His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins consecrated the new altar in the Seminary’s Chapel at a special mass on August 31, 2021, just in time for the new academic and formation year at St. Augustine’s.

“The Chapel is the centre of life at the Seminary,” says Fr. Edwin Gonsalves, Rector, St. Augustine’s. “It is here that we experience the presence of Jesus, who feeds us with his word, body, and blood. As a seminary community, we gather here to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. We gather for adoration, personal prayer, and devotion. It is in this chapel that our restless hearts find rest in Jesus.”

Cardinal Collins echoed those sentiments during the consecration ceremony, saying “it is here that we have the sign of Christ in our midst and where we can offer a sacrifice, the holy sacrifice of the Mass.”

The installation of the altar and tabernacle was made possible entirely through the generosity of donors who support the Seminary and its mission, both financially and through prayer. The new altar and tabernacle are part of the first phase of planned renovations to the sanctuary area – last updated in 1965.

“All of the seminarians know that the chapel is at the heart of our formation,” says Deacon Connor O’Hara, president of St. Augustine’s Seminarian Association. “Our day begins here at the altar, and so it is fitting that our restoration efforts begin there, too. After this first phase is complete, some other areas sorely in need of attention are the Pipe Organ, the Bell, the Pews, and the Paintings.” The chapel’s restoration, he says, aims to enrich the spiritual lives of all who enter.