Switzerland. Canton Ticino. Lugano. Church « Santa Maria di Loreto ». Don Herve Solofoarimanana (L) from Madagascar, Don Giorgio Paximadi (C) from Switzerland and Don Jean Atani (R) from Togo are celebrating Lauds which is a divine office that takes place in the early morning hours. Lauds is a service of morning prayer in the Divine Office of the Western Christian Church, in the ordinary form of the Roman Rite Liturgy of the Hours, as celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church. Kissing the altar is attached to the actions of the priest at Mass. The altar receives its importance in connection with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that is celebrated upon it. Kissing the altar can then be viewed as honoring the special role it has in the liturgy. Symbolically the altar is often said to represent Jesus Christ, the “cornerstone” of the Church. During the litturgy, the priest would sometimes kiss the altar before blessing the people, symbolizing how the blessing came from God, not the priest. 14.03.2018 © 2018 Didier Ruef