The “altar is Christ” and a church is built for the altar, the focal point of the entire public worship and sacred space. Made of Portugese white onyx marble, the altar of sacrifice stands at the center of the elevated eighteen-inch sanctuary. The altar mensa is 84 inches by 40 inches As the body of Christ, the altar is incensed, rubbed with oil and clothed in white linens on the day of its dedication. Here at this altar, the most sacred liturgy of the Eucharist is celebrated daily, making present once again the saving death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, represented in the offering and wondrous change of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. On the day of the chapel’s dedication, a reliquary was enshrined within the altar, a practice dating back to the early Church when Mass was celebrated over the tombs of the martyrs. Inside the reliquary are the relics of Dominican Saints: Holy Father St. Dominic, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Martin de Porres, St. Vincent Liem, Blessed Imelda Lambertini, and Blessed Pier Giorgi Frassati; Patronesses of Youth and Education: St. Maria Goretti and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Patron of Evangelization: St. John Paul II and a Unknown Martyr.