Mary, Mother of Jesus and our beloved Queen, we gather around you here in this place, for we believe you are among us. We accept the great gift of our crucified Lord: "There is your mother!" Mary Our Mother, be the spiritual mother of our country, which is dedicated to your Immaculate Conception. Do for us what a mother does: guide us, educate us, lead us to Christ, your only Son.
  

The reredos, or backdrop of the altar, centers on Mary rising into heaven, surrounded on either side by angels, which are carved into the wall and over-leafed in gold. These dramatize the Latin text: "Mary is assumed; let the angels rejoice!"