I have a few general questions about the Blessed Sacrament:
- Our Tabernacle is located on the high altar in the sanctuary. If I am working in the sanctuary, such as putting flowers around, cleaning the sanctuary, changing the cloths and just generally going on back and forth doing stuff (obviously outside of mass), do I have to genuflect/bow every time I walk in front of the Tabernacle or can I just genuflect in front of the Tabernacle when I enter the sanctuary for the first time and when I leave for the last time?
I was a sacristan for many years before I was ordained priest…both in my childhood parish and then in the seminary. I quite enjoyed the work and so I continued to take a rotation in the parishes I served in as a priest…much to the surprise of everyone. It had a therapeutic quality about it, actually.
No, I would not attempt to genuflect each time you pass in front of the tabernacle – it can be positively disastrous depending upon the floral arrangements you are placing. I would frequently have to pass in front of the tabernacle as I was dressing the altar or vacuuming. Generally, I was talking with the Lord as I was about my work anyway so I was always acknowledging His presence.
- Normally during our weekday novena, the priest or deacon leading it would repose the Blessed Sacrament when we sung the Divine Praises (everyone would still be kneeling). We would then stand for our Marian hymn at the end, sing that, and then sing another hymn as the priest/deacon and altar servers exited. We have now have a new priest, who does not repose during the Divine Praises, but rather returns back to the front of sanctuary steps, in front of the altar, after blessing the congregation. We all then stand as we sing a Marian song and after the song is over, he goes and reposes the Blessed Sacrament during the concluding hymn. Half the congregation kneels when he goes to repose the Host to the Tabernacle, while the other half remains standing and continues to sing. Should we kneel during the reposition?
When I preside at Benediction, I repose the Blessed Sacrament immediately at the end of the Divine Praises. The people are all kneeling until I have closed the tabernacle door, at which time they stand (and I am also of course standing) and only then the exit hymn begins.
You present a couple of interesting scenarios. I can only presume that the priest would repose the Blessed Sacrament during the Divine Praises in order to create a space, between reposition and the closing hymn, to insert a Marian hymn. I would find that solution infelicitous. Having the Marian hymn as part of the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, however, is even more problematic.
Of the possible options, if I were in that situation, I would most likely try after the Divine Praises and the reposing of the Sacrament to proceed to the closing hymn of Benediction but then, rather than process to the sacristy or to the back of the church, process to the Marian shrine and there have the Marian hymn at that point, a la the Salve Regina at Compline, and then at that point exit the sanctuary/church as that hymn concludes.
In any event, that is their decision.
One should be kneeling until the reposition is accomplished and then standing for the exit procession once it is reposed, all else being equal. This demonstrates why it is not a good idea, though, to introduce a change of posture in the middle of a liturgical action such as singing. One should sing kneeling or one should sing standing but the gesture should not change in the midst of the song.
