A few years ago Fr. Jeff asked me if I would be able to build him a portable altar that he could travel with. So, with that simple question a lot of research was done and here we are today. We had lot of conversation around dimensions, species of wood, etc… We found a website that had images of altars and that became the inspiration for what is here today.
There are 3 species of wood on this altar. There is walnut, oak, and elm. Each of the woods holds a significant meaning for Fr. Jeff.
The walnut is from Grandpa John, who passed away September 14, 2022. John was given that wood in 1965 and he stored it in “the big shed” for all these years. John had made many beautiful pieces of furniture for his family over the years. He would always make his pieces from scrap wood. John was saving all the “good” wood for something special. A couple of years ago, I asked John if I would be able to use a couple of pieces of the “good” wood to make a portable altar and he thought that that would be a good use.
The oak that was used to make the drawers comes from two different places. The first is from St. Pius Elementary School Library, I had helped remodel the library when Fr. Jeff was in elementary school and the wood was too beautiful to throw away, so I saved (more importantly I remembered that I saved itJ). The second drawer is made of oak that came from my grandfather’s (Fr. Jeff’s great grandfather Delbert Glew’s) shop. He was the one that got me interested in woodworking.
The elm is from trees on Jenny’s family farm that we cut down and milled to be used on this project. The elm was used for the drawer slides.
Finally, the cross and the corner pillars are from an old pew from St. Wenceslaus church, which played a role in Fr. Jeff’s formation. We purchased the crucifix on the cross several years ago when I had made a rosary box for Jenny, we purchased three crucifixes and have been saving the others for a special occasion.
The IHS, SANCTUS,SANCTUS,SANCTUS, and a note from Jenny and I were done with a CNC router by Steve Hagarty who owns and operates 7th Son Works, LLC.
The metal stand that the altar sits on, the brass candle holders, and the brass clip that holds the cross on the altar were made by my uncle, Martin Frieden. Grandma Ruth crocheted the edges and embroidered the lavabo towels. Ellen Schulte (cousin) made the altar linens and her father, Uncle Mike Hammel, made the missal stand from cherry wood that Grandpa John had saved on the farm.