How should church objects be respected?

[fakename]

For instance, I have a chalice in my possession and when I’m washing it, can I leave some water (a small pool or drops) behind or does it have to be perfectly dried at once?

Just looking for the proper etiquette for this.

 

[odile53]

Is the chalice an item you bought somewhere, or are you doing some cleaning on a chalice that is still being used in sacred liturgy?

That might make a difference, speaking strictly in ecclesiastic terms, as to how you would treat such an object.

But in either case, I don’t know why you would want to not dry the chalice thoroughly. Water is notorious for leaving spots on any metal (think of chrome on your car after a rainfall,) and if you live in an area where you have very hard water, the mineral content of the water drops may start the process of corrosion on the metal. Even stainless steel will get spots on it.

If your chalice is lined with yellow metal, it is probably gold plate. Gold can react with the chlorine in your tap water.

For any precious metal, I would wash it gently in warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and dry thoroughly with a lint-free cloth. If you are not going to use the chalice for drinking purposes, I would also apply a light coat of a metal polish and buff it to a high shine to protect the metal.

 

[fakename]

Is the chalice an item you bought somewhere, or are you doing some cleaning on a chalice that is still being used in sacred liturgy?

That might make a difference, speaking strictly in ecclesiastic terms, as to how you would treat such an object.

But in either case, I don’t know why you would want to not dry the chalice thoroughly. Water is notorious for leaving spots on any metal (think of chrome on your car after a rainfall,) and if you live in an area where you have very hard water, the mineral content of the water drops may start the process of corrosion on the metal. Even stainless steel will get spots on it.

If your chalice is lined with yellow metal, it is probably gold plate. Gold can react with the chlorine in your tap water.

For any precious metal, I would wash it gently in warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and dry thoroughly with a lint-free cloth. If you are not going to use the chalice for drinking purposes, I would also apply a light coat of a metal polish and buff it to a high shine to protect the metal.

Its being used in the liturgy.

 

[odile53]

I’d dry it thoroughly immediately, and return it as soon as practical to the sacristy. If you’re having trouble doing an adequate job of drying with a dish towel, try using a microfiber cloth. They’re more absorbent, and don’t leave streaks.

 

[odile53]

Okay. Did a little more research on this: In the case of a chalice being used in liturgy, either the priest or an acolyte add water to the chalice, consume its contents, and if needed rinse again, with plain water and pour that into the sacrarium (the special sink that is plumbed to ground in the sacristy.) If one isn’t available, they rinse into a large bowl, carry the bowl outside and pour it onto the ground, and clean the chalice with a purificator and friction, rinsing as necessary. I don’t know how they get things like lipstick residue off the rim of the chalice, but imagine you can just rinse, rub, rinse, and repeat. They use yet another purificator to dry the chalice thoroughly. The purificators are then rinsed off, the water is poured off to ground (as described above.) Then they are laundered in the way one would usually launder a linen cloth.

Lay people aren’t supposed to be doing any of this, not even extraordinary eucharistic ministers. Just the priest, a deacon, or an acolyte (usually meaning a seminarian in formation.) I think lay people can launder the used purificators.

Soapy water isn’t recommended for general routine cleaning (ie., after Mass,) and the chalice should have gone through the process described above before any thorough soap and water cleaning. And yes, the chalice gets thoroughly rinsed and dried if this ever becomes necessary.

 

[Catholic90]

…either the priest or an acolyte add water to the chalice, consume its contents, and if needed rinse again, with plain water and pour that into the sacrarium … and clean the chalice with a purificator and friction, rinsing as necessary. I don’t know how they get things like lipstick residue off the rim of the chalice, but imagine you can just rinse, rub, rinse, and repeat. They use yet another purificator to dry the chalice thoroughly.

Soapy water isn’t recommended for general routine cleaning (ie., after Mass,) and the chalice should have gone through the process described above before any thorough soap and water cleaning. And yes, the chalice gets thoroughly rinsed and dried if this ever becomes necessary.

So you are suggesting that after 100s of people have consumed from the cup, no soap should be used? . Ewwww. Sorry, but rinsing in plain water and rubbing will not thoroughly clean. Do you wash your dishes at home the same way? Soap is good.

After ours are purified, they are all washed in hot, soapy water immediately following mass, dried, and placed in a cupboard (or prepared for the next mass).

 

[odile53]

I should have copied the link about the “soap not recommended daily” thing, and probably couldn’t find it again right now. But according to the bishops’ directions, no, you’re not to use soap regularly. It was in some sort of document about care of sacred vessels. Not my idea, and I hope that the bishops have soap as a part of their routine in their household’s care of any item that any sort of food is being consumed from—LOL! Personally, I agree with you, and I’m going to have a hard time getting the image of a rinsed chalice outside of my mind the next time I receive under two species!

 

[DoctorAngelicus]

This is precisely a reason why communion has been given under one species. First of all, one receives the fullness of the Sacrament in the Sacred host, and giving the whole congregation the chalice is often messy, irreverent, among other things.