St. Vincent is a scripture-based community. The community’s commitment to scripture is reflected physically in the Altar Bible that is enshrined on either side of the tabernacle on the high altar.
The Bible is portfolio-size so that it can be read easily from the ambo. It has the original language of the scripture (either Hebrew or Greek) on the right page, with corresponding translation into English on the facing (left) page. The Bible consists of twenty four books with a gold inscription of the book on the spine. The Tanakh (whose original language is Hebrew and reads right to left) is housed on the right of the tabernacle and the Christian scriptures and the Apocrypha (whose original language is Greek and reads left to right) is to the left.
Original illustrations by Sheila Waters are bound into the four Gospels and the five books of the Torah. During services the scripture is read from the Altar Bible and proclaimed from the ambo.
