people and a more substantial wooden ambo. Many other churches removed their altar rails at that time because bishops and pastors during the 1970’s and 80’s argued that altar rails should be removed based on their interpretation of the liturgical reforms of Vatican II to mean “active participation” (actuosa participatio) of the laity would be better facilitated without a perceived separation of the clergy and the laity. Subsequently, sanctuaries were redesigned to feel more open and communal rather than hierarchical. Moreover, the indult (special permission) which allowed bishops to request the reception of Holy Communion standing led to standing becoming the norm in the United States by the late 1970’s, thereby making altar rails obsolete. However, no Church document ever called for the removal of the altar rail! Altar rails have a longstanding history of use in the Church, even before being used for the distribution of Holy Communion. Once churches began to be built in early Christian history, much thought was put into the symbolism of its architectural elements to express and encapsulate Catholic theology. The sanctuary, where the priest and assistant clergy offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, was distinguished from the nave, where the laity gathered to assist, with a barrier. The word “Sanctuary” derives from the Latin “Sanctus” which means “Holy,” which the Israelites of the Old Testament believed meant “set apart for God.” Regardless of the cultural style, certain architectural elements developed to express particular Christian teachings. The sanctuary, like the Holy of Holies of Temple of the Old Testament, symbolized Heaven, where God dwells, and the nave symbolized earth, the domain of humans. The sanctuary barrier, which eventually developed into the altar rail in the Western tradition and the iconostasis in the Eastern tradition, is not merely a barrier but actually a veillike connection between them. It marks the threshold where the heavenly and earthly realms meet in worship. Eastern tradition As a seminarian, I remember asking Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, who was bi-ritual in Byzantine rite, why the Byzantine Rite had an iconostasis which it blocked the view of the Divine Liturgy for the laity. “It’s the union of heaven and earth!” he exclaimed. The iconostasis reveals the mystery of heavenly worship and is a sacred threshold inviting the laity to encounter God, with the Communion of Saints through its icons and Royal Doors by which the Word of God (Gospel) and the Word Made Flesh (Bread from Heaven) are brought. Similarly, the altar rail in the Roman Rite reveals for the laity journeying on earth (nave) the worship of God who dwells among us in the sanctuary (Heaven). It is the sacred threshold where the laity are invited to encounter God with the Communion of Saints at the distribution of Holy Communion, kneeling in humble adoration to receive the true Bread of Heaven, just as the saints and angels worship the Lamb of God (Rev 4:10) at the marriage banquet of Heaven. At this meeting point of Heaven (sanctuary) and earth (nave), the priest, acting in persona Christi with his consecrated hand, reaches from Heaven to earth to give the Eucharist as a gift of divine life. Thus, the altar rail is not a separation but a connection, a sacred threshold where Heaven and earth meet in the Eucharist. Extension of the Altar The altar rail evolved in the Roman Rite to be low enough for the faithful to line up and
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