does your parish use incense?

[LegoGE1947]

Are you implying that whether is the Latin Mass or the Byzantine liturgy the priests fires the incense just because I am attending and I really smell bad?

I am implying exactly what I said about the Church in the early centuries and the Middle Ages where people brought animals as their offerings and people did not take baths as people do now. As a result the ministers used incense as a practical way of toning down the odors.

 

[Cristiano]

I am implying exactly what I said about the Church in the early centuries and the Middle Ages where people brought animals as their offerings and people did not take baths as people do now. As a result the ministers used incense as a practical way of toning down the odors.

Are you implying that I do not only smell bad but that I could be an animal? Are you also implying that I am also really that old to be considered part of the Church history?

 

[ConstantineTG]

I don’t know where I heard or read this but back in the early Church they used incense to hide some of the bad smells. People who had not taken baths, animals brought to the ministers as offerings, etc.

Not true. Incense has been used for worship even by pagans. In the Jewish temple, priests would enter the Holy of Holies to incense the room, and there is no one inside except for the priest (and of course God).

 

[LegoGE1947]

Are you implying that I do not only smell bad but that I could be an animal? Are you also implying that I am also really that old to be considered part of the Church history?

I am not implying anything, except that the use of incense was more or less a practical thing during the apostolic, post apostolic and middle ages. I am not implying anything about anyone on this forum. That includes you, Christiano! Over the centuries the use of incense became more part of the liturgical ceremony.

 

[maltmom]

I love incense. At my church it’s used every week during the Benediction after Adoration. It is also used sometimes on Sundays.

 

[LegoGE1947]

Not true. Incense has been used for worship even by pagans. In the Jewish temple, priests would enter the Holy of Holies to incense the room, and there is no one inside except for the priest (and of course God).

As I mentioned, I don’t remember if I heard this or read it somewhere. If I am wrong I am sorry. Just please don’t shoot the messenger!

 

[ConstantineTG]

Some incense are better than others though. The Orthodox parish in my area has really nice smelling incense.

 

[maltmom]

Some incense are better than others though. The Orthodox parish in my area has really nice smelling incense.

What was used this past Sunday wasn’t. I was sitting in the 2nd row so that may have had something to do with it. It was really heavy where I was sitting.

 

[Cristiano]

I don’t know where I heard or read this but back in the early Church they used incense to hide some of the bad smells. People who had not taken baths, animals brought to the ministers as offerings, etc.

Lego sorry for highjacking your reply. I was just trying to access my emotional side.

BTW what you said is true, quite a few liturgical rituals are out of practicality.

 

[centurionguard]

Not even on solemnities? Some parishes use incense only for special occasions. Some will limit it to a single Mass in the schedule due to people having allergies or just not liking it. Perhaps your priest just hasn’t found the right incense yet. It is difficult to find incense that is not full of wood to create smoke. The rule of thumb is, the less smoke you see, the more scent is being generated.

My parish uses incense on solemnities, in funerals, and sometimes for Benediction. We have an excellent new thurible with which I am gaining experience as an altar server.

Incense is an approved option for any time in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Same goes in my parish. The older the priest the more its used.
But I see it as a Catholic Church custom gradually fading into antiquity.
Easter Vigil, Christmas Eve and some Funerals.

Smokeless Incense is readily available by Catholic supply stores though few know about.
When I was a former sacristan I’d purchase it with the priest discretion exactly because of allergies.

 

[ConstantineTG]

What was used this past Sunday wasn’t. I was sitting in the 2nd row so that may have had something to do with it. It was really heavy where I was sitting.

Probably the cheap stuff

I remember we had a mixture of incense in my parish and I know which of the colors are the sweet smelling stuff (the white one) and which are heavy and bad smelling (the red one). I think the red one was meant for Lent and funerals, while the white one was for more joyous occassions. But our priest has supplied us with one kind now which smells good.

 

[ByzCathCantor]

In my youth, serving at the altar, my priest joked that its not Pascha (Easter Sunday) unless the fire department shows up (which happened to be right down the street from our parish church).

 

[sojo]

Our parish never uses incense. Nor do we have kneelers - our seats are folding metal chairs and they are too close to safely get down onto the floor without knocking other chairs over and creating a real mess. No candles except for the fake oil type for the altar. No side altars, no shrines, no altar rails, no organ - just a cheesy electronic keyboard.

Oh, and no choir and no altar boys most days. Sometimes we have an 8 year old girl stumble through a few hymns on the keyboard, but she only knows a few of the standards.

Our one priest is spread over 4 locations in the summer and 3 in the winter, so we have no regular confession times - confession is by appointment at the rectory, face to face. No confessionals. One of the summer locations is outdoors. Wasp stings have been known to disrupt the Mass.

No crying rooms. No paved parking lot at two locations - you park in the mud in winter and trudge through to get to the door.

God is still present and we still have the Eucharist so all’s good. The other stuff would be nice, but we muddle along.

 

[ByzCathCantor]

God is still present and we still have the Eucharist so all’s good. The other stuff would be nice, but we muddle along.

It sounds like your parish has been abundantly blessed!

I grew up in a mission parish, so I understand where you are coming from, but you seem to have priorities straight. The Lord will provide.

 

[maltmom]

Probably the cheap stuff

I remember we had a mixture of incense in my parish and I know which of the colors are the sweet smelling stuff (the white one) and which are heavy and bad smelling (the red one). I think the red one was meant for Lent and funerals, while the white one was for more joyous occassions. But our priest has supplied us with one kind now which smells good.

At this parish I would think it’s the cheap stuff, but you never know. It was off-white in color. Maybe this is the sweet smelling incense and I don’t know the difference.

 

[ConstantineTG]

At this parish I would think it’s the cheap stuff, but you never know. It was off-white in color. Maybe this is the sweet smelling incense and I don’t know the difference.

Being a sometimes altar server, I do get to notice the difference. The censer rests right beside where I stand so I get to “take it all in”.

We also are conservative with how much incense we use given that our population is elderly. I remember one time we had a guest deacon who put a good amount of incense into the censer. As soon as he went outside the iconostas to incense the icons, I could here a couple of coughs from the congregation. It was supposed to be my task to put the incense in but the bishop asked me to do something else which is why the deacon had to do it himself. Then afterwards the bishop told him not to use too much

 

[maltmom]

Being a sometimes altar server, I do get to notice the difference. The censer rests right beside where I stand so I get to “take it all in”.

Ooops typo…at this parish I wouldn’t think it’s the cheap stuff. A n’t sure makes a world of difference.

 

[Elizium23]

I don’t know where I heard or read this but back in the early Church they used incense to hide some of the bad smells. People who had not taken baths, animals brought to the ministers as offerings, etc.

Yeah, that’s a folk myth that sprang up just because incense does happen to mask bad odors. That is certainly not the purpose or origin of it. Incense use is ancient, dating from Old Testament days, by Jews and pagans and even for profane uses, and to Christians, represent prayer rising to God.

 

[Rocky24]

Only during funerals, Christmas and the Paschal Triduum. I usually am the altar boy that holds the incense boat. I remember earlier this year on the Easter vigil that as Father was incensing the Paschal candle, he made a perfect ring come out from the thurible!

 

[LegoGE1947]

Yeah, that’s a folk myth that sprang up just because incense does happen to mask bad odors. That is certainly not the purpose or origin of it. Incense use is ancient, dating from Old Testament days, by Jews and pagans and even for profane uses, and to Christians, represent prayer rising to God.

Well, thanks. That clears that up! I knew that incense was used even before the Christian era. It is also used during the modern era by hippies and other pagans.