The Look of pre-1958 Roman Catholic churches

The above are three pictures of an altar in the sanctuary of a Roman Catholic Church as all Catholic churches appeared pre-1958. Catholic Churches looked exactly like this going back to the 1500s when Pope Pius V codified the Tridentine (traditional) Latin Mass (see his bull below), and essentially like this back to the time of the Apostles when Mass was said using the tomb of a Christian martyr as the altar (Now a relic of a saint, a martyr, is placed in the middle of the altar table). Notice that the Priest says Mass facing the crucifix and the tabernacle, where Catholics believe Christ is truly present in the Eucharist (Host), with his back to the people. Notice the steps where, after the prayers at the foot of the altar, the priest would ascend to the altar to offer Mass to God. (The second picture was taken at Our Lady of Fatima Chapel in Richmond, Virginia.)

Pope St. Pius V sought to protect the Roman Rite by codifying the Traditional Latin Mass in the proclamation Quo Primum in 1570. His bull says in part: "At no time in the future can a priest, whether secular or order priest, ever be forced to use any other way of saying Mass. And in order once and for all to preclude any scruples of conscience and fear of ecclesiastical penalties and censures, we declare herewith that it is by virtue of our Apostolic authority that we decree and prescribe that this present order and decree of ours is to last in perpetuity, and never at a future date can it be revoked or amended legally. . . . And if, nevertheless, anyone would dare attempt any action contrary to this order of ours, handed down for all times, let him know that he has incurred the wrath of Almighty God, and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul."

Diatas adalah tiga gambar altari dalam sanktuari gereja Roman Katolik dan biasa dilihat oleh umat sehinggalah tahun 1958. Gereja Katolik dengan susunan altari sedemikian biasa dilihat sejak tahun 1500-an lagi apabila Paus Santo Pius V mengkodifikasikan Misa Tridentin atau Misa Tradisional Latin (Baca Bull Paus Pius V pada perenggan kedua). Sejak zaman rasul Yesus lagi, altari mirip dengan susunan sedemikian dimana misa dirayakan diatas batu nesan seorang martir Katolik sebagai altari (sekarang, relik sorang santo, seorang martir diletakkan di tengah-tengah meja altari). Perhatikan paderi merayakan misa dengan mengadap Salib dan Tabernakel, kerana umat percaya bahawa Tuhan Yesus BENAR-BENAR ada didalam Eukaristi dan membelakangi umat. Perhatikan juga Tangga, dimana selepas doa sebelum menaiki altari (prayers at the foot of the altar), paderi akan menaiki tangga altari untuk merayakan misa. (Gambar kedua adalah altari di Kapel Our Lady of Fatima di Richmond, Virginia)

Paus Santo Pius V telah mengkodifikasikan misa latin melalui pengumuman Quo Primum pada tahun 1570. Kata-kata atau Bull Paus Santo Pius V: “ Tidak ada seorang paderi pun, samada ianya paderi sekular atau oder, boleh dipaksa merayakan misa dalam cara lain. Dan untuk memastikan tiada kebimbangan akan wujud terhadap penalti atau pelanggaran ekliksiastikal, kami mengumumkan dengan kuasa mutlak yang diberi kepada kekuasaan Takhta Apostolik, kami mengumumkan oder liturgi ini, wujud untuk selama-lamanya, dan tiada undang-undang diperbolehkan untuk menghentikannya atau mengubahnya….Dan sekiranya ada sesiapa yang berani melakukan yang sebaliknya dari apa yang telah diumumkan, yang diwariskan kepada umat untuk selama-lamanya, ketahuilah bahawa dia telah menaikkan kemarahan Tuhan yang MahaKuasa, dan rasul-rasul, Peter dan Paul.”