Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Antimension

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center

Antimension

An Antimension is:

An "altar cloth" with a small relic sewn into it.
A gift / a sign of communion between the Patriarch or the Eparch of the Eparchy and the priests of that Eparchy

A Cloth placed upon the Holy Altar during the Divine Liturgy

The Antimension is a cloth placed upon the Holy Altar during the Divine Liturgy.
The Antimension is imprinted with the icon of the taking down of the body of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ from the cross to be placed into the tomb.
The Antimension is the cloth that is usually kept folded on the Holy Altar under the Gospel Book.
Before the Great Entrance with the gifts, it is unfolded.
The chalice and diskos rest upon it for the Anaphora, the sanctification of the bread and wine, and the Communion.
After the chalice and diskos are removed (after Communion) to the proskomide (preparation) table, the antimension is again folded and the Gospel Book is replaced on it.

Small Relic Sewn into It

The antimension has a small relic sewn into it, at the center bottom. A small pocket is sewn at the end of the material containing a relic of a martyr.
In the earliest days of the Church, the custom arose to celebrate the Eucharist on the tombs of martyrs.
In the East, the relics were sewn into the antimension.
thus any table could be an altar as long as you had an antimension on which to celebrate the Eucharist.

Protected

The antimension is usually protected by being folded inside a larger white cloth.

A Sign of Communion between the Patriarch or the Eparch of the Eparchy and the priests of that Eparchy

The antimension is a Sign of Communion between the Patriarch or the Eparch of the Eparchy and the priests of that Eparchy.
Further, the antimension is a sign of the unity of the Church.
The Antimension is consecrated and distributed by the Patriarch or the bishop to priests of his Eparchy and is signed by the giver as a token of the giver's communion with the recepitent.

The Antimension is never purchased. The Antimension is always a gift from a high level clergyman to a subordinate clergyman.

An Antimension is different from an Antependium. An Antependium is an altar covering, which fully covers the altar on all four sides. It is often in the colors of the religious season. Relics are not sown into the antependium and they are not distributed by the Patriarch or the Eparch. However, a Patriarch or the Eparch may bless the Antependium.

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
Web URL address: Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center or https://www.mliles.com/melkite/
E-mail: mliles@mliles.com or mliles@mliles.com

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles), Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck), and Donna (Donna Bertha Liles Campbell). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000, Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001, and Donna fell asleep in the Lord on March 9, 2020.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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Last Updated: Wednesday, June 03, 2020, 16:44:55, CDT
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