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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center

Antimension

An Antimension is:

  • A "altar cloth" with a small relic sewn into it
  • A sign of communion between the hierarch and the priests of the 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.
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 Hierarch and the Priests of the Eparchy

  • The antimension is a sign of communion between the hierarch and the priests of the Eparchy
    Further, the antimension is a sign of the unity of the Church. The Antimension is consecrated and distributed by the Patriarch or bishop to priests of his Eparchy and is signed by the giver as a token of communion with him.

    • The Antimension is never purchased.

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    Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
    Martha Liles
    Web URL address: Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center or http://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) and Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000 and Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001.
    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-givng Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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    Last Updated: Saturday, August 08, 2009, 22:27:59, CDT
    The current date and time is: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 05:28:31, CDT or Saturday, March 20, 2010, 10:28:31, GMT