The term frontal refers to any decorative appointment which covers the entire "front" of the altar.

In the early church - when many altars were slabs of wood or stone set atop posts - veils of silk, or of other precious material, were hung over the open space under the altar top, to preserve the shrines or reliquaries of the saints which were usually deposited there.   Later, these curtains were converted into one piece of drapery which covered the whole front of the altar which was then suspended from the altar top.

In fact, this custom became so entrenched that regulations regarding the design and content of frontals became strictly regulated and the use of partial frontals forbidden under Canon Law.

However, as there were few liturgical cops around to punish those who played fast and loose with liturgical law, local custom soon determined what type of frontal was appropriate to grace a given church’s altar.   Thus, the silks and satins that are suspended from our own altars here at Trinity, are a blending of liturgical customs.

For example, the altar which resides in St. Nicholas Chapel is one which completely covers the altar face whereas the altar in the sanctuary has two pieces of embroidered cloth or silk which flank the "IHS" symbol that adorns the altar’s face.   (N.B. the "IHS" symbol is a contraction of the name of Jesus in Greek "IHSOUS", not an acronym for "In His Service" as some have been led to believe).

However, regardless of what adorns the altar face, or how much it is covered, frontals are always meant to draw attention to the place where we receive God’s Grace.   They match the liturgical colour of the day or season to symbolize the changing seasons of our faith and of our lives.   The different hues of our faith that frontals reflect, tell us in living colour that when we come to God, even if we are shaded, faded, or jaded, we are fed in all the seasons of our lives.