Recentered tabernacle reflects the community’s spiritual commitment to put Christ first
A gentle hush settled over the parishioners as they held their candles. In quiet procession, they made their way from the gym of Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Denver toward the sanctuary in anticipation.
As they entered the church, their eyes were drawn to the tabernacle, which had been restored to its rightful place at the center of the sanctuary. This change was more than a renovation; it was a reflection of the truth that Jesus Christ is at the heart of this parish, the Church and the lives of the faithful who come to worship at Most Precious Blood.
“I’ve been a parishioner for 20 years, and I’ve never seen Most Precious Blood more holy, more reverent and more inclusive than I ever have in the past. I’m so proud of our parish,” Hildegard Hethcote told the Denver Catholic, beaming after the recentering Mass on Saturday evening.
The initiative was prompted by the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival, a movement to rekindle devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
“Archbishop Aquila made a request that, with the Eucharistic Revival, it would be a good time for our parish to not only physically place Jesus and the Eucharist at the center of the church, but that with that move would accompany a spiritual move of the prominence of Jesus. Also, because our parish has a Eucharistic identity, it’s just very important. I think in many ways he’s inviting us to live out in a more vibrant and expressive way the identity that’s been given to Most Precious Blood from the beginning, with our namesake,” said Father Daniel Ciucci, the parish’s pastor.
In his homily at the recentering Mass, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila reminded the faithful that this moment was not just about the placement of a sacred object; it was about a renewal of faith, a return to what is essential. Reflecting on Jesus’ presentation in the temple, he spoke of Christ as the Light of the World and that those who put their faith in Jesus will be covered by that light.
“Every time you gaze upon the crucifix,” the archbishop said, “you should be reminded how much Jesus loves you. It is a love so profound that his sacrifice is for us again and again in every Mass. Every time the Eucharist is celebrated, we stand with Mary, John and Mary Magdalene under the cross.
(Photos by Martin Jernberg)
The project began months ago with the formation of a planning group, which included parishioners, school parents and an interior designer. That group came together frequently to discuss the “basic fundamentals” of what would be done, Father Ciucci explained.
One key element of the renovations was the placement of a crucifix that would both enhance prayer and reflect the church’s patronage.
“The previous crucifix had very little patronage towards Jesus’ Precious Blood. You could tell that it had wounds but didn’t quite invoke or communicate the devotion of our parish,” explained Father Micah Flores, the parish’s parochial vicar.
Beyond the crucifix, Father Flores continued, all architecture — especially church architecture — plays a formative role in faith.
“Any architecture or space that you interact with is already teaching you,” he told the Denver Catholic. “When you walk into a building, its construction and structures show you how to interact with that space. Having the tabernacle at the center, having a beautiful piece of artwork, having a sanctuary space will immediately start to instruct and teach us how it is that we should worship God and how it is that we should interact with the building of the church and what its purposes and why it exists in the first place.”
The recentering of the tabernacle has also set the stage for additional enhancements. The Marian side chapel will become a dedicated space for devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, recognizing her role as patroness of all the Americas. The chapel on the opposite side will feature the Divine Mercy image, further reinforcing the parish’s connection to Christ’s sacrifice and the mystery of his Precious Blood.
For many, the recentering of the tabernacle provided an opportunity to correct misconceptions that arose from previous decades.
“For a while, there was a movement emphasizing the presence of Christ within the community, ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst,’” explained Father Flores. “But the true understanding is that it’s the sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ’s institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, that informs and gives life to the community.”
“Community is not possible without the communion that can only come from Jesus. You can have human affinity, but you can’t have true community without Christ front and center, without Christ at the head, in the center of the community,” Father Ciucci added.
Since the start of construction, the response from the parish community has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We’ve taken different groups behind the wall after Mass,” said Father Ciucci. “The most common reaction is awe. They see the space carved out by arches, by elements of classical architecture that are simple and noble, and they get what it’s going for.”
For many, this renovation has reinforced a fundamental truth of the Catholic faith: “If the Eucharist is really what we say it is — Jesus’s flesh, a sacred substance that’s wholly transformative for the spiritual life — then it deserves being elevated and prominent. And that’s what the architecture does,” Father Ciucci continued.
Hethcote admitted she was initially hesitant when she first heard about the renovations.
“At first, I didn’t understand why we were doing it. Of course, like everybody else, I thought, ‘It’s always been this way. Why are we changing it?’”, she recalled. But after reading Father Ciucci’s letters to the parish explaining the change, she was fully on board. “Once I read that, I was 100% convinced the change was what our parish needed.”
Her reaction was deeply emotional when she saw the completed project for the first time.
“I started crying when I saw it on Wednesday afternoon. It’s beautiful. It’s breathtaking,” she said.
Archbishop Aquila expressed this same type of awe during Saturday’s recentering Mass.
“When I walked in tonight, my breath was taken away and my heart lifted by the beauty and reverence of Most Precious Blood,” he said at the end of Mass.
Beyond aesthetics, the recentering of the tabernacle clarifies the heart of Catholic identity, Father Ciucci said.
“There is no distinction between right worship of God and the Catholic social responsibility that’s incumbent upon all of us because of our baptism,” he explained. “Love of neighbor does not come at the cost of love of God. In fact, love of God enables an ever-deeper love of neighbor.”
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