Oak to Altar

Iconic Tree Finds New Purpose In The Chapel

The altar in the Queen of All Saints Chapel at Cardinal Gibbons High School brings more than a new, contemporary feeling to the space; it is a remembrance of the school’s past.

Consecrated June 12, 2021, by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama, the altar and accompanying pieces were designed by alumnus Peter Ruocchio ‘92 using part of an oak tree from the former campus on Western Boulevard.

Gibbons was there from the 1960s until 1999 when the school opened its current home on Edwards Mill Road.

Bishop Luis anointed, incensed, covered and lit the altar which, in Catholic tradition “are visible signs of the invisible work that the Lord accomplishes through the Church,” wrote Leonor Cavijo of the Diocese of Raleigh.

The oak tree was cut down to make way for the construction of Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral. A cross in the front office of the school was also made with wood from the oak.

Ruocchio, who does industrial craft design with his company Ruocchio Designs Inc., was excited to design the altar to reflect the contemporary architecture of the chapel.

The altar, 6 feet wide and 40 inches deep, is made of Tennessee sandstone to reflect the split stone columns that flank the glass brick windows, which let lots of light into the room.

The relics of St. Pope Pius X, St. John Neumann, and Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos lie beneath the stone. St. Pius was Pope from 1903-1914 and was known for his encouragement of frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially for children. St. John Neumann founded the first Catholic diocesan school system in the United States. Seelos served as an assistant to Neumann and preached in the MidAtlantic, Midwest, and New Orleans, where he worked with the sick.

The legs of the altar are maple; the oak is the central part of the altar, with walnut trim. “That was a red oak tree,” Ruocchio said. “I counted 79 rings, but the base was 4 feet wide so it must have grown quickly.” The same wood was used in the ambo for the chapel, too.

“The former altar was what I would call a ‘common altar’ that we purchased as a set from a company that serves Catholic communities in need of worship supplies,” said Gary Meyerl ‘82, assistant head of school for spiritual life.

Meyerl said the new altar, ambo and complimentary chapel furnishings accentuate the chapel. “The wood from the oak tree on the Western Boulevard campus is a daily reminder of our history (from whence we have come) and our future hope of spending eternal life with Jesus.”

Ruocchio had never made liturgical furniture before, but said it was an honor as a lifetime Catholic and former altar boy.

Ruocchio and former chaplain Fr. Daniel Oschwald worked on the plans for about six months. Together, they went back and forth with different iterations.

“We talked about how we had to make it purposebuilt for the room, the chapel, and we couldn’t change the room,” Ruocchio said “ so the altar and other furnishings had to be new and meaningful.”

During the consecration Mass, Bishop Luis said, “I ask when you come to this high school, stop by, don’t ignore this beautiful classroom where the teacher is Jesus himself.

“It is the consecration of the table dedicated only to the celebration of the Eucharist.”

The Queen of All Saints Chapel is used primarily for school events. To allow the beauty of the new altar to be seen, a minimal altar cloth is used.

“While many may not know the history,” Meyerl says, “when they hear of the lengths that Peter went through to preserve and dry the wood of the oak tree in preparation for use in this altar they are just in awe. In my opinion, the intentional placement and use of the oak in the altar and ambo is a reminder to us of how interconnected we are as a Catholic school community – both in our rich history and in our living out our Catholic identity.”

-Deirdre Parker Smith