Church: A Place Where Mystery Happens -- #13

In recent years the Catholic Church in Canada and in the United States has issued documents on the church building. Both documents are very helpful for parishes that are building a new church or renovating an existing one. The title of the U.S. document is Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture, and Worship. It devotes a lot of space to the tabernacle where the holy Eucharist is reserved. I will address this topic in two articles.

Traditionally, the holy Eucharist was reserved in a tabernacle so that communion could be brought to the sick, to those unable to attend the Sunday gather, and as viaticum for the dying. Priests, deacons, and eucharistic ministers would take the reserved sacrament and place it in a little vessel called a pix, a small container that they could easily carry to the home of the sick person or to the hospital. The holy Eucharist was also reserved so that people could come to spend time in prayer, adoration, and contemplation before the Lord of their lives. This quiet time of prayer before the Eucharistic Lord gave Catholics strength to go out to feed the hungry and care for the poor. "Providing a suitable place for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament is a serious consideration."

Each church is to have one tabernacle. It should be beautifully designed and in harmony with the decor of the rest of the church. A wax candle or an oil lamp should burn near the tabernacle to indicate the presence of the Lord.

Where should the tabernacle be placed? Considerable controversy has surrounded this issue recently. Competing, irreconcilable, and frozen ideologies underlie the positions that various Catholics take on this issue. The placement of the Blessed Sacrament, the sacrament of unity, thus becomes a sacrament of disunity and discord. Built of Living Stones makes a few things clear. The tabernacle should not be placed on the altar where the liturgy of the Eucharist is celebrated. The bishop of each diocese is to set guidelines about appropriate placement. He may decide to have it placed in the sanctuary apart from the altar of celebration or in a chapel suitable for adoration and the private prayer of the faithful. "In making his determination, the bishop will consider the importance of the assembly's ability to focus on the eucharistic action, the piety of the people, and the custom of the area. The location also should allow for easy access by people in wheelchairs and by those who have other disabilities". Those involved in planning should examine the principles and values that underlie each option.

Some parishes have separate chapels of reservation. These are conspicuous and integrally connected with the church. The placement and design of the chapel is beautiful, fosters reverence, and provides quiet and focus for personal prayer. Other parishes have designed an area within the sanctuary and have made sure that the tabernacle does not draw peoples' attention away from the eucharistic celebration.