Andrew Jackson Shipman

“ A church and its altar should be consecrated by a bishop, but sometimes it is found impossible or inconvenient to accomplish this, and so a priest may perform the consecration, but he must use the antimension which has been duly consecrated by the bishop in almost the same manner as an altar is consecrated. ”

“ In the Greek Orthodox church the veil is put on the shoulders of the deacon who brings the paten to the altar at the great entrance, and the same rite is preserved in the Greek Catholic church, where the aër usually has a couple of short strings to secure it over the shoulders. A similar ceremony is still preserved in the Roman rite, where the deacon at high Mass brings the chalice and paten to the altar and places a special veil over his shoulders. ”

“ There is then placed on the altar a fine large wrap or cloth called the heileton (εἱλητόν) which is somewhat analogous to the burse of the Latin Rite, and in it the antimension is enfolded. All these are put in place after having been blessed and sprinkled with holy water while the appropriate Psalms are being chanted. After this the church is then consecrated, or it is ready for consecration. Among the Greeks the altar is always consecrated on Holy Thursday or on a Thursday between Easter and the Feast of the Ascension. ”