High Altar - Saint Joseph Church - Erie, PA - Wooden Church Artefacts on Waymarking.com

Saint Joseph Church, on the corner of West 24th and Sassafras Streets in Erie, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1867 by German residents in Erie. The present church building was designed by architect Patrick Keely and built beginning in 1882.

The present wood high altar was installed in the church in 1917. Hand-carved by Augustus Schmidt in Cologne, Germany in 1910, the altar includes numerous ornate decorations, as well as depictions of saints and Christian imagery.

Near the top of the altar piece is a figure of a bearded man, representing God the Father, Christ on the crucifix, representing God the Son, and a dove, representing God the Holy Ghost. To the right and left of this depiction of the Holy Trinity are statues of two saints, St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Below this, in the center is a pelican, a common Christian symbol representing Christ's passion and the Eucharist. The altar also has four panels with highly-detailed carvings of biblical scenes, including the story of Melchizedek and Abraham from the book of Genesis, the wedding feast at Cana, the last supper, and the Passover from the book of Exodus. Above the tabernacle, which has a painting of the Annunciation on it, is a crucifix with an angel on either side. On either side of the tabernacle are symbols of the four evangelists. The altar frontal has a carving of a lamb sitting on a book with seven seals, imagery from the Apocalypse as recorded in St. John's Revelation. There are also small statues of Saints Peter and Paul on the far right and left bottom portions of the altar.

While this high altar is rarely used for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass any more due to a newer free-standing altar in the sanctuary, it is still revered by the parishioners of this historic church.

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Approximate age of artefact (Year): 1910 Relevant website: [Web Link] Times available for viewing: Not listed Entrance fee (if applicable), local currency: Not listed

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