What is an ambry? It is a place of honor to reserve the holy oils - Sacred Chrism, Oil of the Sick and Oil of the Catechumens - that are blessed by the bishop every year at the Chrism Mass, usually right before Triduum. The oils received at the Chrism Mass are presented
to the parish on Holy Thursday evening and placed in the Ambry for display and for use in the sacraments in the church all year. These holy oils remind us that in our sacramental life of faith, simple and ordinary elements are used to celebrate profound realities.
At Our Lady of the Rosary Church, we were graced with donations to acquire an ambry and it was created and is now in place. This ambry was constructed by Steve Remmert of Remmert Studios in St. Anne, IL. The ambry was constructed over a three months time period and was shipped to us just before Holy Week for installation in time for Holy Thursday Mass. We wish to thank our generous donors Anne and Bill Morrison, and two couples who prefer to remain anonymous.
At St. Albert the Great Church, the ambry is set into the wall behind the altar. There are plans to move it to the back of church near the Baptismal Font in the future. At St. Thomas Aquinas the Interior Committee is researching ideas on where an ambry might work well inside the church.