Altar, lectern for Pope being made in Cebu
The altar for Pope Francis’ Mass in Tacloban City on January 17. (CDN PHOTO/CARINE ERA M. ASUTILLA)
The altar and the lectern which will be used by Pope Francis for the mass in Tacloban City on January 17 is made in Cebu.
The altar and lectern are 70 percent complete and will be ready for transport to Tacloban City by Tuesday next week.
The altar’s table top and base are made of fossil stone, while its body is purely made of Philippine mahogany wood. The lectern is also made of Philippine mahogany and its reading desk is of fossil stone that matches the altar’s table top.
Mehitabel Furniture Company, Inc., a 65-year-old export firm known for its fine wood and rattan furniture, volunteered to work on the altar and lectern. The company was recommended by a furniture company in Pampanga that is making the chairs that the Pope and his concelebrants will use for the Mass in Manila.
Robert Luiz Aboitiz Booth, owner of Mehitabel, said that they took the offer and volunteered for it as a way of thanking the Pope for visiting the country.
Booth, who owns the company with his mother, Josephine and sister Maria Luisa, said that doing something for the Pope was a rare opportunity.
“It’s an honor to do this for the Pope. Everybody working here is very happy and excited in doing this project. They even worked over the holidays just to get this done in time,” says Booth.
Booth said he appreciated how Pope Francis has become an inspiration for many people, particularly his emphasis on serving the poor and living simply.
Mehitabel’s Engineering Department head Lenie Fernandez designed the altar and the lectern taking into consideration, the Pope’s request for a simple preparation.
Cebuano touch. A carver at Mehitabel works on a component of the altar. (CDN PHOTO/ CARINE ASUTILLA)
“These are actually simple pieces, compared to the usual furniture that we process here. It is because we know that the Pope prefers simpler things,” says Booth.
“We were given two designs of both altar and lectern which were very intricate and grandiose. Knowing how our Pope is, I revised the design. This is a combination of traditional and contemporary art,” said Fernandez.
They started to work on the altar last December 18 and on the lectern last December 29.
“It’s a short time but we were able to manage. We are 70 percent done. We will put the carvings and do the finishing work on Saturday. These will be packed on Monday and transported to the Archdiocese of Palo on Tuesday,” said Fernandez.
The carvings for the front, side and back portion of the altar and the lectern all came from Pampanga. These carvings arrived on Thursday morning.
The altar is 97 centimeters in height, 3.1 meters in length, and 1.2 meters in width.
After the carvings will be done, they will then paint either gold or silver on the edges and designs of the altar and lectern.
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