Handling the monstrance

[robert_ambrose]

my wife and i were at mass today in our cathedral,prior to mass starting some people were praying in front of the tabernacle, the monstrance was visible to all ,a minute before mass started a lay person picked up the monstranceand proceeded to take it away, holding it in one hand to another room, it surprised us as we thought that only a priest was able to do that. any comments on what we saw. thank you

 

[PhilotheaZ]

An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion can repose the Blessed Sacrament to the tabernacle with the pastor’s permission, if a priest or deacon is not available to do so.

If they were taking the monstrance *away *from the tabernacle, my guess is that they had already removed the Blessed Sacrament from the monstrance and placed it in the tabernacle, and were just putting away the empty monstrance.

 

[benedictgal]

An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion can repose the Blessed Sacrament to the tabernacle with the pastor’s permission, if a priest or deacon is not available to do so.

The final phrase “if a person or deacon is not available to do so” is the key phrase here. Now, if the adoration is suspended so that Mass may be celebrated, then the priest who is going to celebrate the liturgy needs to be the one who will repose the Blessed Sacrament, wearing the humeral veil, alb and stole. After Mass, he should retire to the sacristy, change into a humeral veil, alb and stole and then resume exposition.

At our local hospital’s chapel, a priest friend of mine who celebrates Mass there, comes out in his alb, stole and humeral veil, blesses the faithful, then reposes the Blessed Sacrament and puts away the Monstrance. He then retires to the sacristy and finishes vesting for Mass. After Mass (because the chapel has adoration from 8AM to 8PM), he retires to the sacristy, removes his chasuble and then emerges with humeral veil, alb and stole, and then exposes the Blessed Sacrament. He always lets a couple of minutes elapse between reposeing and Mass, and the conclusion of Mass and exposition, as the two should be separate.