Tuesday 11 August 2020
Altars contain a small cavity called a sepulchre. The relics of saints are buried in this sepulchre together with three grains of incense, and the cover sealed in place. This recalls the earliest custom of the Church of celebrating Mass always on the tombs of the martyrs. We are certain that the martyrs’ souls are in heaven, therefore their bodily remains are a link to them and to heaven itself. #oxfordoratory