It is called the Sanctuary Lamp. However, even though red is the most common color used, it is not required and some churches use lamps with other colored glass, or clear glass.
which pope asked all catholic churches to keep a lighted lamp always in its altar
Roman Catholic AnswerYou have answered your own question, it is called, "stripped", as the Ordo says: "after Mass, the altar is stripped in private".
It is a cloth placed on an altar.
YES.. and they are not called "alter" (altar) girls. Both boys and girls may serve the mass and are referred to as altar servers.
No, but the altar top should be stone of some sort, and a permanent altar should be unmovable.
In Protestant and evangelical churches it is usually called the 'communion table'; in Roman Catholic churches, the 'altar'. This difference is because Catholic teaching views the bread and wine as a re-presentation of the same sacrifice of Christ at Calvary, with the elements changing substance to the real body and blood of Christ in every respect except appearance; hence the table is an 'altar' of sacrifice. In Protestant traditions since the Reformation the elements of bread and wine are viewed in a variety of other ways, including those which emphasise their symbolic and memorial nature, or to be the occasion of a real but spiritual presence of Christ; hence 'communion table' rather than 'altar'. 'Higher' forms of Protestant churches, including those in the 'Anglo-Catholic' tradition, place a premium on Catholic continuity, and are closer in practice, doctrine and terminology to the Roman Catholic position. Without taking note of the distinctions above 'altar' has become part of popular usage, especially in terms like 'altar call'.
Roman Catholic AnswerThe altar (and the priest when he is at the altar) are contained in the sanctuary of the Church.
It's just Catholic, not Roman Catholic. Roman is an epithet first commonly used in England after the protestant revolt to describe the Catholic Church. It is never used by the official Catholic Church. By Canon Law (Church Law), an oil lamp, know as a Sanctuary lamp, must always be burning before the Blessed Sacrament. This is usually a clear or red glass lamp on or above the altar where the Blessed Sacrament is reposed.
An altar is actually called "the altar", although if there are many altars in a Church, they may be called by a specific name, like the main altar, the high altar, the side altar, the Blessed Virgin Mary altar, the altar of repose, the Blessed Sacrament altar, the St. Joseph altar, etc.
The gold box on the Catholic altar is called the "tabernacle." It is used to store the Eucharist, which is the consecrated bread that represents the body of Christ. The tabernacle is often adorned and is considered a sacred space, reflecting the reverence for the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
In Catholic Churches (and some other denominations) they call it the 'altar'. However, the term 'altar' suggests a sacrifice, as per the altar at the Temple in Jerusalem. in the Catholic Church, they believe that the sacrifice of Jesus is reenacted at each mass (communion service) , and therefore, for the, the term 'altar' is appropriate. The protestant churches, however, tend to follow scripture more and regard Jesus's sacrifice as a once-for-all sacrifice, as per Paul's teaching. Therefore they tend to call it simply the Communion Table or even the Lord's Table.
.Catholic AnswerNormally stone, at least the actual part of the altar that the sacrifice is celebrated on would be stone. There is often an "altar stone" inserted in the top of a wooden altar.