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Lay people and the tabernacle Peter Monday, March 21, 2005

Question:

My parish has set up an perpetual adoration Chapel at the back of the Church in a separate room. The Church Tabernacle is now located in this Chapel. We do not have enough people coming to really call it perpetual adoration so the Tabernacle has been modified. When the outer brass door is opened the Eucharist is exposed in a small monstrance behind another inner perspex door which is locked separately. The key to the outer brass door is hidden so that only the faithful know where it is. The inner door key is kept in a separate place all togheter. The idea is that you can come at any time of the day or night, open the outer door yourself and close it again when you are finished. To get in at night you need to know a code to open the front door of the Church.
This means that a lot of the time only one person is in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament. Can you see any problems with this practise ? Thank you.
Question Answered by Mr. Jacob Slavek

Dear Peter,

I have never heard of this before and I don't believe the church has ever addressed it.  However the Church HAS forbidden transparent tabernacles, and in my opinion this qualifies as a transparent tabernacle so in my judgment anyway this is wrong.

If a parish does not have the resources to provide perpetual adoration, then it shouldn't.

Mr. Slavek
Footer Notes: (a) A Eucharistic Minister is clergy (Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion). Laity are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and should never be called Eucharistic Ministers.

(b) There is no such Mass called the Novus Ordo. The Current Mass is the Roman Missal of 2000, or the Oridinary Form of the Mass. The Tridentine Mass is the Roman Missal of 1962, or the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Please refrain from using the term, Novus Ordo. Thanks.

(c) The titles of Acolyte and Lector belong exclusively to the Installed Offices of Acolyte and Lector, who are men (only) appointed by the Bishop. These roles performed by others are Altar Servers and Readers, respectively.