Altar cloth question

[St_Annes]

Could people (in the U.S. primarily) let me know what your Church does about the top altar cloth?

At present, we have a green, a white, a violet, and a red which we use depending on the season. It covers the surface of the altar and comes down several inches on the side.

Every time there is a memorial, we end up having to change it to match the appropriate color of the day. Having to move everything so it takes almost 10 minutes.

There is some thought about the possibility of making banners/strips or colored fabric to hang down (two for each liturgical color) that we could change more easily. The local parish has these.

Could people please share what your local church does; I would appreciate the (name removed by moderator)ut. It may give us ideas and also a general sense of common ways of dealing with this.

Thanks.

 

[Vico]

Could people (in the U.S. primarily) let me know what your Church does about the top altar cloth?

At present, we have a green, a white, a violet, and a red which we use depending on the season. It covers the surface of the altar and comes down several inches on the side.

Every time there is a memorial, we end up having to change it to match the appropriate color of the day. Having to move everything so it takes almost 10 minutes.

There is some thought about the possibility of making banners/strips or colored fabric to hang down (two for each liturgical color) that we could change more easily. The local parish has these.

Could people please share what your local church does; I would appreciate the (name removed by moderator)ut. It may give us ideas and also a general sense of common ways of dealing with this.

Thanks.

We always use white on top. There is a white surround with velcro that we use alone, or attach a colored (green or red) skirt to.

 

[1ke]

Could people (in the U.S. primarily) let me know what your Church does about the top altar cloth?

The “top” altar cloth is always white. So I’m confused.

From the GIRM:

1. Out of reverence for the celebration of the memorial of the Lord and for the banquet in which the Body and Blood of the Lord are offered, there should be, on an altar where this is celebrated, at least one cloth, white in color, whose shape, size, and decoration are in keeping with the altar’s structure. When, in the Dioceses of the United States of America, other cloths are used in addition to the altar cloth, then those cloths may be of other colors possessing Christian honorific or festive significance according to longstanding local usage, provided that the uppermost cloth covering the mensa (i.e., the altar cloth itself) is always white in color.

Every time there is a memorial, we end up having to change it to match the appropriate color of the day. Having to move everything so it takes almost 10 minutes.

You are talking about daily masses? We don’t change liturgical colors out for daily masses. But if your pastor wants you to do so, then that is what you should do.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Could people (in the U.S. primarily) let me know what your Church does about the top altar cloth?

At present, we have a green, a white, a violet, and a red which we use depending on the season. It covers the surface of the altar and comes down several inches on the side.

Every time there is a memorial, we end up having to change it to match the appropriate color of the day. Having to move everything so it takes almost 10 minutes.

There is some thought about the possibility of making banners/strips or colored fabric to hang down (two for each liturgical color) that we could change more easily. The local parish has these.

Could people please share what your local church does; I would appreciate the (name removed by moderator)ut. It may give us ideas and also a general sense of common ways of dealing with this.

Thanks.

Are you sure these are not vesperals rather than altar cloths? Where I have used vesperals, they cover the altar when Mass is not being celebrated in order to preserve the altar cloths.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

Having to move everything so it takes almost 10 minutes.

What is on the altar that takes so long? The largest altars I’ve seen can be dressed in two minutes or less. At most, you have candles and a crucifix.

We don’t change for daily Mass, but if we did, it wouldn’t take but a moment.

 

[St_Annes]

Our top cloth is white. The colored cloth goes underneath.
We have to remove the candles used during exposition (which we hold daily) and the cross, then the top white cloth. Then we have to put on the colored cloth and make sure it is hanging evenly and neatly (which requires standing back at a distance). We also change the covering on the ambo to match and the tabernacle veil. All told, this takes almost 10 minutes.

 

[1ke]

Our top cloth is white. The colored cloth goes underneath.
We have to remove the candles used during exposition (which we hold daily) and the cross, then the top white cloth. Then we have to put on the colored cloth and make sure it is hanging evenly and neatly (which requires standing back at a distance). We also change the covering on the ambo to match and the tabernacle veil. All told, this takes almost 10 minutes.

Ok, that description makes more sense.

As I said, we don’t change the colors for daily masses that are daily mass feasts during the larger season of Lent, Advent, or Ordinary time, and the Easter or Christmas seasons. I do update them for Holy Days of Obligation that fall within the various seasons. Our priest would wear the vestments in the color of white (or red for a martyr) but we don’t change out the other items.

During Lent/Easter we have the change from purple to red this weekend, then to white, then to red, then to white, then to red over the course of the Triduum and Easter to Pentecost. Of course we make those changes.

Yes, it’s a pain but that’s just the job.

To save time, some parishes have frontals and the colored cloths you mention with a Velcro system to save time. But we do not do that.

 

[Irishmom2]

Every time there is a memorial, we end up having to change it to match the appropriate color of the day. Having to move everything so it takes almost 10 minutes.

It’s just 10 minutes. I don’t see that as a real problem.

Think of it as 10 minutes for God. 10 minutes is nothing.

 

[St_Annes]

I’m not the one raising the issue. Someone else here suggested it as an option.
A couple other factors are at play:

• One of the cloths is a bit damages
• We have exposition and, at times, we have to change the cloth during this time and it can be a distraction

 

[1ke]

One of the cloths is a bit damages

My first suggestion would be that it is time to talk to your pastor about replacing the altar linens. If they are damaged or wearing out, replace them. Proper disposition of altar linens that are no longer suitable for use would be to bury or burn them (such as in the Easter fire).

We have exposition and, at times, we have to change the cloth during this time and it can be a distraction

Well, you don’t “have” to change the cloth at that time.

You could change it the night before. You could change it earlier in the day. Or, here are other suggestions:

You could have just a white altar cloth on during the week, white is always appropriate for the altar no matter what the liturgical color of the day is. Simply change it out on Sunday night to be the white altar cloth and then only put the “colored” cloth on the altar before the Saturday/Sunday liturgies begin for the weekend masses. Then you are only making 2 changes in a week: Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening.

Or, you could put the colored cloth on and then not change it at all during the week. That’s what we do.

Talk to your pastor and see what he recommends. I don’t really see a reason to change it out on a daily basis like that unless it’s something your pastor has specifically requested.

 

[Sunbreak]

We only use a white altar cloth so there’s no problem changing anything.

 

[St_Annes]

We don’t really have a ‘pastor’ per se as we are not a parish, but a long-term care facility with a chapel. We do try to change when there is not exposition.
I am just trying to get a feel as to what is most common and also for any good ideas. Thanks.

 

[marytk]

Our top cloth is white. The colored cloth goes underneath.
We have to remove the candles used during exposition (which we hold daily) and the cross, then the top white cloth. Then we have to put on the colored cloth and make sure it is hanging evenly and neatly (which requires standing back at a distance). We also change the covering on the ambo to match and the tabernacle veil. All told, this takes almost 10 minutes.

Yes and saying it can be done it two minutes doesn’t count folding and putting away the ones you take offf. (Like laundry folding etc can be the most work)

WE have hangings (I forget exactly the real name) That are violet for Lent. We have not taken these off for the Feasts during Lent . I changed the ambo hangings for St Joseph yesterday but not the altar But we dont’ always change the Ambo hangings from green for memmorials.
BUT changing these altar hangings would be less than having to take every thing off.