I chanced upon a video of Cardinal Raymond Burke blessing a number of portable altar stones. As the video says this is a rite rarely seen by the faithful. I had not witnessed it although I had read a description of the ceremonial. Some years ago I did witness the rite of consecrating a fixed altar by the then Archbishop Nichols at the Oxford Chaplaincy, and the two ceremonies are, naturally, essentially the same, but with some obvious visual and ceremonial differences.
The Catholic Encyclopaedia has an entry about such movable altar stones at CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Portable Altar
Portable alter stones have a long history. The earliest example I have seen is from among the relics of St Cuthbert at Durham Cathedral and is, I assume, one he travelled with as a bishop and may have had in his last days in his retreat on Inner Farne. An amazing survival and a precious link with a great and saintly figure from the seventh century.
I first looked into this topic in connection with my research into the life of Bishop Richard Fleming. Following his consecration in Florence as a bishop by Pope Martin V in 1420 he obtained an indult for his brother Robert and his wife to have a portable altar for domestic use. I am tempted to think that maybe one of Richard Fleming’s first episcopal actions was to consecrate such an altar stone for his brother and sister-in-law.
The video with Cardinal Burke can be seen at The Rare Catholic Ritual You’ve Never Seen Before
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