Elijah Cup

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In our parish, the chalice program has several chalices, enough for one per Sunday Mass and one or more extras in case someone doesn’t get one back in time. Each chalice is enclosed with a paten in a plexiglass box. The chalice family (actually 4/week) receives a chalice with a selection of vocation prayers at the end of each Mass. I haven’t heard if they do anything special with them and I don’t know if they have ever been used for anything else.
 
KCT said:
Same here. The chalice was never used at Mass and purchased (by the K of C) just for the program. If and when we have a vocation to the priesthood come out of our parish, he will get the chalice to use at Mass, and we’ll purchase another one.
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That is a FANTASTIC idea. 👍
 
Praying for vocations is a great idea. Gathering a group to pray for vocations is also wonderful. Using some physical object to inspire is wonderful and certainly within the practice of tradition.

That said, I would have some objections to using a chalice, either one used in the mass or not. In no particular order:
  1. If consecrated, the danger of accidental or deliberate misuse of a sacred vessel would be too high to offset the benefit.
  2. If not consecrated, it still (obviously) resembles a sacred vessel and could cause scandal outside the group, to those who did not know its status.
  3. If consecrated, it could give the appearance of superstitious practice to those not fully indoctrinated in how the group was using it.
  4. The value of most chalices is high enough that personally, I would not want to be responsible for keeping it in my home. What if it was stolen?
Paul
 
Our parish did this for a while, with a very nice, freestanding crucifix. That seems less confusing to me than using a possible sacred vessel, or what people might mistake for one.
 
T700 said:
Praying for vocations is a great idea. Gathering a group to pray for vocations is also wonderful. Using some physical object to inspire is wonderful and certainly within the practice of tradition.

That said, I would have some objections to using a chalice, either one used in the mass or not. In no particular order:
  1. If consecrated, the danger of accidental or deliberate misuse of a sacred vessel would be too high to offset the benefit.
  2. If not consecrated, it still (obviously) resembles a sacred vessel and could cause scandal outside the group, to those who did not know its status.
  3. If consecrated, it could give the appearance of superstitious practice to those not fully indoctrinated in how the group was using it.
  4. The value of most chalices is high enough that personally, I would not want to be responsible for keeping it in my home. What if it was stolen?
Paul
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That is my concern, too. Sacred vessels are made for one reason, to be used for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Having an icon or a crucifix would be a much better idea.
 
Thank you for all your ideas. It just so happens that my priest friend is filling in for someone at the church where they are doing this and he is going to get all the facts on exactly what they are doing. As I said he disagrees with the practice so I don’t know how he is going to handle it as it is not his parish. I like the idea of the Icon or Crucifix. I will bring that idea up to the woman who is wants to start it in our parish. I still like the idea of asking people to spend an hour before the Blessed Sacrament but, honestly, I don’t think that will go over well. I also have an e-mail in to our diocesan worship director who happens to be down in DC right now to see if he can get some (name removed by moderator)ut from the Bishops Committee for Divine Worship.
 
Eucharisted said:
Sounds like an extreme traditionalist group, because it reminds me of the ancient practice of Christians taking the Eucharist home so they could worship it with their families.
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Gee to me it sounds like something an extreme liberal group would do for their communal worship of the community.
 
EvelynEVF said:
Our parish did this for a while, with a very nice, freestanding crucifix. That seems less confusing to me than using a possible sacred vessel, or what people might mistake for one.
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In laws parish did this same thing in the archdiocese listed in my profile. It was kinda neat. But to use a sacred vessel. Don’t like it.

The family was asked to come forward after the final blessing and recieve the crucifix to take home for the week. They were invited to place the crucifix in a prominent place in their family home and use it as a focal point of their family prayers.
 
Joannm said:
I was approached by a parishioner to consider beginning the Elijah Cup program in our parish. She showed me an article about it and honestly I have some major reservations about it. For those who don’t know what it is, basically it is a program where families pray for vocations to the priesthood. Great you say, how can one object? What I have a problem with is that each week, a family brings home the chalice that was used at Mass to consecrate and hold the Precious Blood. They “enthrone” the chalice in their home and use it at the focus of their prayer for vocations. I believe, and a good priest friend of mine agreed, that the sacred vessels should be used for only one purpose and utmost care should be taken that they are treated with respect. Having a family take a chalice home leaves it open to mishandling and possibly abuse. I can just think of a little kid taking it and playing Mass with it, or the family deciding to fill it with wine or grape juice and passing it around the dinner table. In my house, it would probably get knocked down by the cats who jump on everything (OK so I can’t have anything good out that I would be heartbroken if it broke).

We were discussing that if we want families to pray for vocations, why don’t we ask them to commit to an hour before the Blessed Sacrament, or to bring home a cup that is only used for this purpose and is not blessed nor ever contained the Precious Blood.

Have any of your parishes ever done this program? What are your thoughts on it? Like I said, the premise is good, but I don’t like using the chalice used at Mass. I am trying to look for some documentation to support my postion. I don’t think our pastor would go for it, but I want something to show the person who asked why we should not be doing it.
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Sacred vessels should never be used except for their designated purpose, so using a chalice from Mass to “pass around” would be very inappropriate.

The program itself is a good idea but needs to be “modified” to be respectful to the sacred purpose of the vessels. Something else should be used–perhaps something looking like a chalice which isn’t, like for example a ceramic or glass “chalice” or an icon, statue, etc. etc.

I think it would be a perfect use for illicit vessels like those glass chalices.
 
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