by Therese Horvat
Special to The Leaven
BASEHOR — The solemnity and significance of the Holy Week Triduum are heightened annually at Holy Angels Parish here, with the tradition of the Altar of Repose.
Leading up to this special eucharistic adoration, dedicated volunteers plan, design and create a beautiful environment conducive to prayer and meditation. Donna Thomas, leader of the parish’s altar society décor team, described the Altar of Repose as an amazing way to begin the Triduum.
“In the face of an Altar of Repose, you can’t ignore the reality of what Christ did for us,” Thomas said. “It is such an honor to create a place of beauty for him to repose in his eucharistic presence before we commemorate the horrors of Good Friday and Christ’s subsequent triumph over death on Easter for us.”
Pastor Father Richard McDonald explained that during Mass on Holy Thursday — the commemoration of Christ’s Institution of the Eucharist — the priest consecrates an additional number of small hosts for the next day’s celebration of the Lord’s Passion. Because there is no consecration in Good Friday’s service, these hosts are reserved for that liturgy.
Following the Holy Thursday Mass, there is a solemn outdoor procession from Holy Angels’ main church to the former small church on the parish campus. Luminarias light the way as the celebrant carries the veiled ciborium of hosts under a canopy held in place by Knights of Columbus. Servers and candle bearers accompany, and incense is dispensed. The choir, prospective first communicants and the congregation follow, singing verses of “Pange Lingua Gloriosi” (“Sing, My Tongue, the Savior’s Glory”).
On arrival in the small church, the celebrant sets the ciborium on the altar amidst incense and the singing of “Tantum Ergo” (“Down in Adoration Falling”). Worshippers experience the transformation of the altar area into a vibrant garden scene with abundant flowers, candles, pillars, rocks and flowing fabric. Father McDonald then places the hosts in the tabernacle for repose and for eucharistic adoration that continues until the Good Friday liturgy. The choir transitions to singing, “Stay with Me.” Father McDonald and servers return to the main church to strip the altar.
“Just as Jesus invited the apostles to stay and keep watch with him in the Garden of Gethsemane,” Thomas explained, “we receive that same invitation to be with him at the Altar of Repose.”
To foster reverence, the décor team strives to make the Altar of Repose as beautiful as possible. Work begins in February when Thomas brainstorms with Pat Sambol, parishioner, and Patty Santee, florist, Father McDonald’s cousin and a member of St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee. Thomas has detailed records from past years. Supplies are stored in well-marked containers in the basement of the main church.
Leading up to decorating, members of the parish’s “That Man Is You” group help transfer supplies and dismantle the altar area of the former church. Then the work of creating the Altar of Repose begins. The décor team has 19 members; as many as are available volunteer. An auxiliary group of men assist with heavy lifting and ladder work.
At the height of preparations, volunteers are on site from 9 to 5 or longer. In 2025, 183 hours went into developing the Altar of Repose at Holy Angels.
Fresh flowers arrive on Monday of Holy Week; green foliage is brought over from the main church. Arranging flowers and lights and fine-tuning the design occur through Wednesday. That night, there’s a final lighting check.
Sambol said that since the parish introduced the Altar of Repose in 2019, the décor has gotten grander each year. She and Thomas have been involved from the outset.
Jennifer Pierce first experienced the Altar of Repose on Holy Thursday last year before becoming a Catholic during the Easter Vigil. The beauty of the environment impressed her. When she joined the altar society, Pierce signed up for the décor team.
Of the group that creates the Altar of Repose, Father McDonald said, “It is an amazing team of truly dedicated volunteers totally committed to expressing their love for our eucharistic Lord anew each year.”
The team’s work continues through Holy Week and after. Volunteers return plants, flowers and other supplies to the main church and position décor for the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses. Eventually, they dismantle the Altar of Repose and anticipate other solemnities and observances at the parish.
“It’s a labor of love for the Lord,” concluded Sambol.
