THE ALTAR AT ST. JUDE

The altar was blessed and anointed by Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington as part of the church's dedication on July 14, 2018.

This unique marble altar is surrounded by thirteen statues. Jesus is in the center, with the twelve apostles depicted around the four sides.

Why an altar with Jesus and the twelve? For one thing, St. Jude was one of the apostles, and these men lived in the company of Christ and one another. But the altar was designed this way for a very important reason — the relic it contains.

THE RELIQUARY

The case set into the rear of the altar contains relics of all twelve of Jesus' apostles.

The relic was given to Fr. James Hudgins, who was the pastor of St. Jude at the time of the church construction. About ten years previously, he had received it from the cloistered Sisters of Santa Lucia in Italy. These sisters care for and distribute saintly relics for the Diocese of Rome.

"I always thought this relic was too nice to keep," Fr. Hudgins said. When he was assigned as pastor, and given the task of building the new church, he made a decision: "I'm going to put that relic in our new altar, because that's where it belongs."

JESUS CHRIST

The statue of Jesus occupies the center position in the front of the altar. This particular depiction is the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Below the figure is carved the Latin inscription, "Iesvs Nazarenvs" — Jesus of Nazareth. The apostles' names are also carved in Latin.

The use of Latin is a tradition when it comes to artwork that features Christ and the apostles. The faith is timeless — it's been around for centuries before us and it will be around for centuries after us. Thus, the inscriptions are written in the timeless language of the universal church.

ST. PETER

Jesus told St. Peter he was the rock on which He would build His church. St. Peter is shown here, to the far left on the front of the altar, holding the keys to the kingdom. St. Peter died by crucifixion, sometime around the year 64.



ST. JUDE

While the apostles may have quibbled about who stood at Jesus' right hand, in this church named for St. Jude, it is he who is placed at the Lord's right. His name is shown in the form it is often used historically — Jude Thaddeus.

ST. JAMES THE GREATER

At the front of the altar, St. James the Greater stands at Christ's left. In the Acts of the Apostles, it was written that Herod had St. James killed by the sword.



ST. JOHN

As another of the pillars of the church, St. John is shown at the far right of the front side of the altar. He is shown holding a chalice, with a snake coming out of it. It was said that someone tried to kill St. John with poison. He drank the poison, yet he showed no ill effects.

ST. PHILIP

One of the two apostles on the right side of the altar is St. Philip. He is shown holding a cross, which indicates that he died through crucifixion. In works of art through the ages, saints are often shown holding the implements of their own martyrdom. And that is the case with this altar.



ST. JAMES THE LESSER

This apostle's statue shows him with a club in his hand, as well as a parchment. St. James the Lesser was beaten to death on account of his faith, which is represented by the scroll — the Letter of James from the New Testament.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW

He is one of four apostles whose statues are displayed on the back side of the altar (the church is constructed in such a way that a visitor may view all four sides of the altar). St. Bartholomew is holding a knife, the weapon used against him when he gave his life for the faith.



ST. MATTHIAS

After Judas betrayed Jesus, the remaining apostles elected St. Matthias to restore their number to twelve. St. Matthias is depicted with an axe, indicating how he was martyred.

ST. SIMON

This is the apostle sometimes known as Simon the Zealot, as distinguished from Simon Peter. St. Simon is holding a saw blade. History records that his martyrdom was especially gruesome.



ST. ANDREW

Behind this apostle there are two large logs, in the shape of an "X," indicating the type of cross on which he was crucified. This "X" pattern is called St. Andrew's Cross, and was often featured on the flags of nations and states.

ST. MATTHEW

The altar's left side includes St. Matthew's statue. He has a hatchet in his hand — showing how he was martyred — and a money bag at his feet. Before he decided to follow Jesus, St. Matthew collected taxes for the Romans. He turned away from that life to spread the gospel.



ST. THOMAS

This apostle, who had to see the risen Christ for himself before he believed, nonetheless came to know Jesus as "my Lord and my God." St. Thomas is holding a spear, showing how he met his death.