Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

  • Thread starter Thread starter snickerdoodle
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

snickerdoodle

Guest
Twice in the past year, in my parish, on First Fridays, when there was a scheduled Exposition from noon to 8 pm, ending in Benediction, the priest announced that the Monstrance would be moved to a side room (no, not a chapel and not the sanctuary, a side room where the chairs for the junior choir are kept, to the best of my knowledge) for part of the time, due to a wedding rehearsal??

Has anyone ever heard of this before? I was upset that there was such lack of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament during a very Holy Rite. I have never heard of this being done in all my 67 years as a Catholic ! Has anyone else? Is it allowed by Church Law?

I thought that the altar (Tabernacle) was a Holy Place and where Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament dwelled. Why then should He be pushed aside for a wedding rehearsal that could have and should have been scheduled for another time (or for the side room)? Please, enlighten me as to the proper Exposition rules.
 
Would you rather have the Holy Gifts moved to a more private place where only those deliberately intending to pray before the Lord would be there…

Or to have Them exposed in the main church where there would be a mixed multitude during the rehearsal, many of whom would NOT understand the significance of the Monstrance, and others who did understand would NOT show proper reverence?

This is precisely the reason why the Holy Gifts are frequently reserved in a special chapel in big cathedrals and other churches that have a lot of casual visitors who may NOT be coming for prayer.
 
I would not have the Blessed Sacrament moved at all ! I would allow the Exposition to continue, in place, during the time designated by the parish, and re-schedule the wedding rehearsal for another day. After all, in my parish, Exposition only happens once a month, on First Fridays.

Is it too much to ask, to honor Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament for 8 hours once a month. Is there no other time(s) to schedule a wedding rehearsal ( or anything else) other than those designated 8 hours ? We don’t have a chapel, only the main church. What should take prescedence?

Are we not told that God should be first in our lives, above all else? Then why not in church?
 
snickerdoodle said:
I would not have the Blessed Sacrament moved at all ! I would allow the Exposition to continue, in place, during the time designated by the parish, and re-schedule the wedding rehearsal for another day. After all, in my parish, Exposition only happens once a month, on First Fridays.

Is it too much to ask, to honor Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament for 8 hours once a month. Is there no other time(s) to schedule a wedding rehearsal ( or anything else) other than those designated 8 hours ? We don’t have a chapel, only the main church. What should take prescedence?

Are we not told that God should be first in our lives, above all else? Then why not in church?
Click to expand...
I agree. Rehearshal should have been rescheduled. When you think about it, it seems representative of how many live their lives in this world today. If it’s convenient to have God around okay, if not, just put him aside for awhile. How sad. 😊
 
It is no wonder that we church-goers are referred to as the “Remnant Faithful”. And yes, that is terribly sad. Satan is alive and well and living in our midst (even if we, as a society, have become too sophisticated to believe it to be true). May God help us all !:crossrc:
 
snickerdoodle said:
Is it too much to ask…
Click to expand...
No - it’s not at all. You are totally justified in being irate about this, I would be as well. :mad:

Let’s just shove Jesus into the broom closet so we can have a rehearsal - unbelievable. And so very very sad.

~Liza
 
We do not know the reasons why the wedding rehearal could not have been moved to another day. Perhaps some of the wedding party had to come from out of town and could not get there sooner due to work or whatever. The priest did the right thing in moving the Blessed Sacrament to a another room in order to practice in the church. Hopefully, the room was properly prepared. Those people (adorers) were blessed to be given the priveledge of adoring Our Lord in a more intimate setting, closer to the Blessed Sacrament
 
zab said:
We do not know the reasons why the wedding rehearal could not have been moved to another day. Perhaps some of the wedding party had to come from out of town and could not get there sooner due to work or whatever. The priest did the right thing in moving the Blessed Sacrament to a another room in order to practice in the church. Hopefully, the room was properly prepared. Those people were blessed to be given the priveledge of adoring Our Lord in a more intimate setting, closer to the Blessed Sacrament
Click to expand...
No - I totally disagree with this. The REHEARSAL should have been moved, not Jesus.

It is entirely possible to do a mock up of the sanctuary in another room and get the idea in enough detail to understand what to expect on wedding day.

The altar is where the monstrance belongs - NOT IN A CHOIR ROOM!!!

My gosh - I am just aghast at all the excuses here for shoving Jesus in another room!!! What in the WORLD could possibly be more important to a parish’s spiritual formation than this???

~Liza
 
lizaanne said:
No - I totally disagree with this. The REHEARSAL should have been moved, not Jesus.

It is entirely possible to do a mock up of the sanctuary in another room and get the idea in enough detail to understand what to expect on wedding day.

The altar is where the monstrance belongs - NOT IN A CHOIR ROOM!!!

My gosh - I am just aghast at all the excuses here for shoving Jesus in another room!!! What in the WORLD could possibly be more important to a parish’s spiritual formation than this???

~Liza
Click to expand...
I believe that we should respect the decision of the priest, especially since we do not know all of the details.
 
zab said:
I believe that we should respect the decision of the priest, especially since we do not know all of the details.
Click to expand...
You are certainly welcome to hold that belief - I personally believe that the OP, since he was there, has given me sufficient level of detail to realize that Father did not make the right decision in this situation.

I’m sorry, but I really can’t see anything that would possibly warrant moving Jesus to a choir room so that a rehearsal can continue in the sanctuary. I don’t care if it was the Pope’s niece - a wedding rehearsal does NOT take priority over Jesus.

~Liza
 
lizaanne said:
You are certainly welcome to hold that belief - I personally believe that the OP, since he was there, has given me sufficient level of detail to realize that Father did not make the right decision in this situation.

I’m sorry, but I really can’t see anything that would possibly warrant moving Jesus to a choir room so that a rehearsal can continue in the sanctuary. I don’t care if it was the Pope’s niece - a wedding rehearsal does NOT take priority over Jesus.

~Liza
Click to expand...
Are you sure the OP is a he?
 
FrDavid96 said:
Since the profile says “husband of 42 years”
I think it’s safe to assume that snickerdoodle is a “he”.😃
Click to expand...
No, the profile for biography says, "Great husband of 42 years…
in other words, she has a great husband of 42 years. That is how I read it.
 
:confused: Why has the subject gone from Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament to whether or not Snickerdoodle is a “he” or a “she”, none of which has anything to do with the subject at hand! I was just aghast at the happenstance at my church and was wondering if anyone else had experienced anything like it in their parishes. Have you ??
 
You are certainly welcome to hold that belief - I personally believe that the OP, since he was there, has given me sufficient level of detail to realize that Father did not make the right decision in this situation.

I’m sorry, but I really can’t see anything that would possibly warrant moving Jesus to a choir room so that a rehearsal can continue in the sanctuary. I don’t care if it was the Pope’s niece - a wedding rehearsal does NOT take priority over Jesus.
Click to expand...
Agreed! :clapping:
 
snickerdoodle said:
:confused: Why has the subject gone from Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament to whether or not Snickerdoodle is a “he” or a “she”, none of which has anything to do with the subject at hand! I was just aghast at the happenstance at my church and was wondering if anyone else had experienced anything like it in their parishes. Have you ??
Click to expand...
The subject came about when the question of whether we board members had suffiecient information to make a judgement against the priest’s decision to move the Blessed Sacrament to another room to allow for the wedding rehearsal. Someone responded"
…since he was there, has given me sufficient level of detail to realize that Father did not make the right decision in this situation…
Click to expand...
My point was even with the information provided by “snickerdoodle” she could be mistaken.
 
Parishes shouldn’t allow weddings when other events in the church will conflict with the wedding party’s need of the church. If churches would be as strict as they should be in how they handle wedding arrangements, this would be a non-issue.
 
It is entirely possible for the priest to have placed the Blessed Sacrament back in repose for the length of the rehearsal, and then re-exposed it after it was over. Yes, inconvenient for the faithful who wish to adore, but wholly better for the dignity of the Eucharist. Though I do agree with most of you that moving the rehearsal is the better option.
 
Yes, I am a woman, have a wonderful husband of 42 years, and am a daily worshiper at mass in my parish, for those who inquire.
My only concern was the lack of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament on days and times that were designated by the pastor
to be for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Having been a product of Catholic Education by the Notre Dame nuns, I found it appalling that so sacred a rite was pushed aside for something that could have and should have been scheduled for another time, and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same at their parish. So far, no one has responded in the affirmative.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top