Altar Screen

Introduction

The Altar Screen behind the altar at St. John XXIII was installed during the renovation of the worship space that occurred in the summer of 2022. Though it was new to us at that time, it was inherited from the chapel at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe sold the seminary, which had been used as a conference and retreat center in recent years, and St John XXIII parish was fortunate enough to receive the Altar Screen, which had been in the sanctuary of the chapel since the early 1960s, when it was decommissioned.

The artist behind the Altar Screen is a sculptor from Chicago who moved to Santa Fe in 1955, Donna Quasthoff. Gilbert and Son of Albuquerque executed the ironwork from Quasthoff’s panel designs. The original Corpus was Nambeware struck by workmen in Nambe from a cast sculpted by Quasthoff, and the current Corpus is made from her mold of the original in something called “scope metal.” 

Over the next several weeks, we will explore the individual panels of this Altar Screen and reflect on the symbols and meaning each one holds.