Any success moving tabernacle back?

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Hi,

My chuch has a sacristy to the left of the alter. It’s a separate room with windows into the church. There are a few kneelers in the room for prayer. It doesn’t seeem very “prominent”. Our parish has lost it’s focus recently and I know it would help to move the Tabernacle back to the alter .

I often wonder why people Genuflect toward the alter now when the blessed sacrament is in the sacristy to the left. Children and adults seem confused. Are they honoring the priest, the alter, the crucifix???

Also there is a door on the side of the sacristy that many people use as an exit before and after Mass. No one aknowledges the presence of the blessed sacrament as the blow on through the sacristy. The lack of reverence is sad.

Has anyone tried to return their tabernacle back to the alter and have you been successful???

Where should I start??
Thanks
 
We originally had our tabernacle to one side. Recently the church was remodeled to place it in the center, right behind the altar. That along with a few other details, made it a very reverent sanctuary. It worked out great!
 
I’d also like to see our Tabernacle moved back to front and center. At least it’s in a place of honor, at the front of the Church, just slightly off to the side of the Altar. But I want it right there in the center, under a large crucifix statue.

Oh, and a parishoner gave a large Resurrected Christ statue which has replaced the Crucifix above and behind the altar. We have a small crucifix which is carried into Mass when we have an altar server (well, at least with one of the stronger servers). I also want to see the large crucifix back on the wall.

I think it’s important for us to reflect on the Crucifix. I makes us face the question of why Christ suffered.

CARose
 
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tTt:
Hi,

My chuch has a sacristy to the left of the alter. It’s a separate room with windows into the church. There are a few kneelers in the room for prayer. It doesn’t seeem very “prominent”. Our parish has lost it’s focus recently and I know it would help to move the Tabernacle back to the alter .

I often wonder why people Genuflect toward the alter now when the blessed sacrament is in the sacristy to the left. Children and adults seem confused. Are they honoring the priest, the alter, the crucifix???

Also there is a door on the side of the sacristy that many people use as an exit before and after Mass. No one aknowledges the presence of the blessed sacrament as the blow on through the sacristy. The lack of reverence is sad.

Has anyone tried to return their tabernacle back to the alter and have you been successful???

Where should I start??
Thanks
Click to expand...
When we built our new Church, our pastor wanted to put it behind the altar, but the then-bishop refused to let him. The bishop wanted to put it in a seperate room, but the pastor got him to at least just allow us to place it off to the side of the altar. Our pastor told us many times from the pulpit that out of obedience, he would obey the bishop in this, but if we ever got a new bishop, the first thing he would do is ask to move it back (we designed the space behind the altar to hold the tabernacle - just in case. 🙂 )

When that bishop was forced to resign recently, and we got a new bishop, our pastor asked him on the very first day for permission to move it. Within a week it was behind the altar, where it had always belonged. It took obedience and patience, but it happened.
 
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Fidelis:
When we built our new Church, our pastor wanted to put it behind the altar, .
Click to expand...
I’m confused, is “behind the altar” still visible from the main church and the pews?

Thank the Lord for obedient priests!
 
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seek1st:
I’m confused, is “behind the altar” still visible from the main church and the pews?

Thank the Lord for obedient priests!
Click to expand...
Yes, it is on the wall of the sanctuary directly behind and slightly higher than the altar so that it is visible from almost anywhere in the Church.

I wish I had a picture, but if you happen to have the Steve Ray video Footprints of God: Moses, there is a scene at the end of the video where our pastor is celebrating Mass. It is visible there.
 
I know this probably sounds picky, but I hesitate to join the church where I attend daily Mass because the Tabernacle is in another room, there is no Crucifix in the main church, only a sculptured thing representing the cross. There are painted murals of Mary with the child Jesus in an alcove off to the left, and a painting of Joseph on the right. The pastor is supposedly orthodox, so I can’t figure out why the church is set up that way. There was a different pastor when this church was built, but this pastor doesn’t seem to want to change anything. They do have a perpetual adoration chapel where Mass is celebrated during the week. I just can’t bring myself to join the parish. I think I would be constantly frustrated and annoyed at Mass. They also bring in a crucifix for Mass on Sat. and Sunday. They wouldn’t have to do that if they had a crucifix in the church.

Dominus Vobiscum
 
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coeyannie:
I know this probably sounds picky, but I hesitate to join the church where I attend daily Mass because the Tabernacle is in another room, there is no Crucifix in the main church, only a sculptured thing representing the cross. There are painted murals of Mary with the child Jesus in an alcove off to the left, and a painting of Joseph on the right. The pastor is supposedly orthodox, so I can’t figure out why the church is set up that way. There was a different pastor when this church was built, but this pastor doesn’t seem to want to change anything. They do have a perpetual adoration chapel where Mass is celebrated during the week. I just can’t bring myself to join the parish. I think I would be constantly frustrated and annoyed at Mass. They also bring in a crucifix for Mass on Sat. and Sunday. They wouldn’t have to do that if they had a crucifix in the church.

Dominus Vobiscum
Click to expand...
Coeyannie, I may be way “off base,” but if you are referring to OLG, let me know, and I will have some suggestions for you!

If I’m mistaken, forgive me, but you sure are describing a church that is very familiar to me!!! :o

:blessyou:

Anna
 
yes, our parish has moved the tabernacle from a tiny room hidden off the narthex - to front and center in the sanctuary. I have photos of it - it is so beautiful and we’ve seen wonderful changes. Our pastor and his assistant were convinced that they wanted the change and it happened - even tho many kicked and screamed.

I’ll also try to find a letter from a Chicago priest announcing that this change will happen and then a couple of months later - describing the reaction to the change - all very positive. If i find it, i’ll post it.
 
A Chicago priest writes to his parishioners about reverence for the Eucharist

***–and receives a surprising response. ***
June 24, 1997

To the parishioners of St. Thomas

Dear Friends in the Lord,

I was alarmed by a statistic I heard this weekend. Only 27 percent of Catholics in the United States believe in the Real Presence. The doctrine of the Real Presence is at the very heart of the Catholic faith. The doctrine of the Real Presence is the belief that Jesus is really, physically, present in the form of bread and wine. This idea draws together all the central teachings of Christian faith. It is the incarnation, the redemption, the resurrection, the unity of the body of Christ, and the promise and foretaste of heaven. If we don’t believe in the Real Presence, we might as well close the church.

In fact, we are facing a generation of young people who are largely lost to the church because we have not given them the precious gift that is at the heart of Catholicism, that is the Real Presence of Jesus. Mass has become simply a drama, a vehicle for whatever agenda is currently popular. The church building is no longer a place of encounter with the Lord but a sort of a social center–not a place of prayer, rather a place of chatter.

In many churches, including our own, the tabernacle was moved from the center of the church to add emphasis to the Mass and the presence of the Lord in the reception of Holy Communion. The experiment, however, has failed. We have lost the sense of the sacred that formerly was the hallmark of Catholic worship. The behavior of many in the church is outrageous. When Mass is over it is impossible to spend time in prayer. The noise level reaches the pitch that one would expect at a sporting event. The kiss of peace seems like New Year’s Eve. Christ is forgotten on the altar.

You may counter that he is present in the gathering of the Church, and though this is true, it should not detract from the Lord present on the altar. If the Lord is truly recognized in the congregation, it should serve to enhance the sacredness of the moment. This is simply not happening. The sign of peace in most churches has all the sacredness of an Elks convention–no offense to the Elks. We are teaching our children by what we do and the way we are behaving that there is nothing special about that little white round thing, it’s just a piece of bread. Usually wedding photographers set up their equipment right in front of the tabernacle and I have to ask them to move. They have no idea what that little box is for.

Worse still, I remember walking into church one afternoon to find some of the men of the parish smoking and drinking beer directly in front of the tabernacle as they worked on some “liturgical” project or other. After Mass on Sunday the church is littered with cigarette butts, gum, wrappers, the refuse of snacks, broken toys brought to entertain unruly children, and all manner of filth.

.

(to be continued)
 
cntinued letter from Chicago priest –

Therefore, I have decided to restore the tabernacle to its former place in the middle of the sanctuary and to begin a campaign of re-education as to the sacredness of worship and the meaning of the Real Presence. This means that I will nag and nag until a sense of the sacred is restored. I will be reminding you that a respectful quiet will have to be maintained in church. Food and toys and socializing are welcome elsewhere, but the church is the place for an encounter with the loving God. It will not be a popular policy, but this is unimportant.

If you object, please tell me why. I will not begin this change until July. Let me know what you think. I can hear one objection already. Where will the priest sit? I will sit where the priest has traditionally sat over on the side of the sanctuary. Here as in many churches the “presider’s” chair was placed where the tabernacle had been. I am sick of sitting on the throne that should belong to my Lord. The dethronement of the Blessed Sacrament has resulted in the enthronement of the clergy, and I for one am sick of it. The Mass has become priest-centered. The celebrant is everything. I am a sinner saved by grace as you are and not the center of the Eucharist. Let me resume my rightful place before the Lord rather than instead of the Lord. I am ordained to the priesthood of Christ in the order of the presbyter, and as such I do have a special and humbling role. I am elder brother in the Lord and with you I seek to follow Him and to worship.

Please, please let me return Christ to the center of our life together where he belongs.

In the Lord,

Father Rich Simon.
 
continutation #2 - followup letter from chicago priest –

[Three months later]

**St. Thomas of Canterbury Parish, **

**4827 North Kenmore Avenue, **

Chicago, Illinois 60640
​
September 16, 1997

Dear Friends,

You cannot imagine the response that I got to the letter I addressed to my parishioners on June 24. I have gotten so many calls and letters that I am reduced to saying thank you in a form letter. Still, I simply have to write to say thank you for your support and prayers. So many people thought I was brave to do what I did.

Brave!? I simply read the Catechism and moved a few pieces of furniture. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. In the parish, some people even wept for joy when they saw the change. I am still kicking myself and asking why I didn’t do this years ago. The response has been so supportive. Many wrote and expressed their sense of loneliness in the battle for Catholic orthodoxy. Well, you are not alone, neither among the laity nor the clergy.

Perhaps you have heard the definition of a neo-conservative: He is a liberal who has been mugged by reality. That certainly describes me. I was in college in the late 1960s and went the whole route – beard, sandals, protests, leafleting for feminism, and all the rest. I was nursed back to sanity by some Trappist monks and by genuinely Catholic charismatics. All my ministry has been in the inner city and mostly in the Hispanic apostolate. I teach in a seminary, part time, I am the diocesan liaison for Spanish-speaking prayer groups, and the pastor of an inner city parish. Our very poor parish in Chicago’s Uptown gives away food and clothing about 4,000 times a month through a soup kitchen, a pantry, and a clothing room. We use six different languages in the liturgy: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Lao, Korean; and we have a monthly Mass in the Coptic rite, in the Gheez language for the Eritrean community. When I arrived here the parish was controlled by feminists and radical leftists. So I had pretty good liberal credentials.

My point in all this, is that if a parish like this and a person like me can be turned from foolish liturgical experimentation, it can happen anywhere to anyone. Don’t give up! For instance, if they have taken the kneelers out of your church, go to the front and kneel on the hard floor. You’ll be amazed how many will join you. That’s what happened here. If your pastor tells you to stand, respectfully ask the bishop for permission to kneel. Let your light shine and pray unceasingly, and as you do pray for me and my little parish of faithful poor. I have leaned so much from them.

In the Lord,

Father Rich Simon

PS: I am enclosing a copy of the first letter. People have asked if they might share it or copy it. Please do! As Pilate said, “What I have written I have written.” Should I be ashamed to hold the faith of two thousand years?
 
Thanks for posting that wonderful letter. I’ve copied it to a Word file, and searched for additional information on this Parish (I’d hate to give something to my pastor which turned out to simply be a bad internet rumor or a good story, but not true). It’s been published in Catholic World News (internet publishers need to learn to put dates on their articles!!). I have been unable to locate a Parish Website, but it looks real to me. (I’ve done a std search engine search and looked on Masstimes.org, but no website listed.)

Thanks,

CARose
 
My tabernacle is off to the side of the church, in a side chapel, but it’s placement is very prominent. The tabernacle is still in full view to everyone. Behind the tabernacle is one large, thick, stained glass window. What is eerie is that the light from the outside penetrates the window and it gives the effect of light coming out of that chapel.

Anyway, at my church, I like the placement of the tabernacle. I think it was done with alot of thought.

As far as reverence for the blessed sacrament goes, I think the placement of the tabernacle will have little effect, for I think to those who are irreverent, they don’t even know the significance *of *the tabernacle. If you want to bring back reverence, expose the blessed sacrament before and after each mass.
 
It is the year of the Eucharist! This would be an excedllent practice to begin.

I’d love to see it happen in parishes around the country. I’ll bet abortions would stop in a hurry if we began this. Too many people have forgotten that God is real and our actions matter.

CARose
 
Regarding the priest in Chicago, I’ve been to a couple of his Masses, he’s for real. I’ll see if i can find out how to contact him.
 
As far as reverence for the blessed sacrament goes, I think the placement of the tabernacle will have little effect, for I think to those who are irreverent, they don’t even know the significance *of *the tabernacle. If you want to bring back reverence, expose the blessed sacrament before and after each mass.
While I think that many would laud the suggestion to introduce exposition before each Mass (say an hour before, that way father can prepare a good homily, even for daily Mass, and a rosary can begin at quarter 'till), I must respectfully disagree with the above. While it’s certainly true that those who are irreverent will tend to remain that way (until significantly touched otherwise), we cannot ignore the obvious connection between the sacramental exodus and the simultaneous “generation gap” in reverence. The problem is that in most places people were never properly instructed. If the tabernacle is front and center behind the altar then people simply genuflect, period. If they have trouble kneeling then most attempt a sort of courtsy. If the tabernacle is somwhere else, though, then the proper sign of reverence (to the altar) is a profound bow, a gesture introduced with little to no instruction and phenomenally little application. Either the bow becomes a nod, a pause, or is eliminated altogether on the one hand, or it becomes some sort of a cross between a simple (head bow) and a profound bow (that strange, in-betweener position where hte body is bent about 45 degrees), or it becomes a contest to see which pious busy body (and I mean that in the scriptural sense) can bow lowest. If the tabernacle is in the front but to the side then you end up with bizzare double acts of reverence; one off-center genuflection, and another straight on pseudo-bow, usually rushed and started on the upswing from the genuflection. Either that, or again, because Jesus is not in people’s direct view, He is forgotten. This pietistic sloppiness is the direct cause of the lack of liturgical and devotional catechesis that plagues most people born from say, 1970 to 1995. Fortunately, enough places are getting things back together now that many of our little ones are learning well.

Seriously, someone should start a campaign about the exposition thing. That was the best idea that I’ve heard in a long time.
 
Hehe… the diocesan bishop hates it, but my parish priest was able to get the tabernacle permanently installed behind the high altar in the new parish church of my home parish. At the moment there are two thick marble doors and the frame is adorned with gold, and they’re working on raising money for something a bit more ornate. It’s still nice, though. Only church in the diocese with a tabernacle on (well, technically right behind) the high altar. 😃
 
I’m very happy to say that a nearby Church has moved the tabernacle back to the Sanctuary only because of a newly ordained priest. Once appointed to this parish and he immediately moved it from a hidden side chapel to the center of the Sanctuary. Praise God! 🙂
 
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