Depending on what branch of Anglicanism you may practise, you may come across an altar stone. The altar stone is set at the place where the consecration of the Eucharist takes place on the altar. It normally contains a relic or relics of saints. This is indicated at the heart of the stone. It is engraved with five crosses to represent the five wounds of Christ—the hands, the feet, and the side.
When inserted on the tabletop of the altar, known as the “mensa,” it gives continuity from the Church of the past to the Church of the present and the future. Often, the relics used in these stones are that of a martyr, someone who died for their faith. This is done to hold true to the belief that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. This symbolized the martyr’s tomb, where the early Church celebrated the Eucharist. This was specially the case before Christianity became a publicly recognized religion by the emperor Constentine in 381. Underneath the stone is normally held the documentation concerning the consecration of the altar itself.
The first Good Friday that I went to Howley was 2022. When I approached the altar, to my surprise, there was an altar stone! People would not normally know that it is there because every day, with the exception of during the Easter Tridium when the altar is stripped, the altar stone is not visible to the worshipping community. This year (2026), going to Howley for the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, before the arrival of the worshipping community, I took this photo of the altar stone, so that I could share it with you.
If anyone knows any of the history behind the current altar in the Church of the Ascension in Howley, I would certainly love to find out the story behind this beautiful piece of our faith.
