Key in the Tabernacle - what would you have done?

[TimothyH]

Excellent post. Being a sacristan who quietly goes about her business serving the priest who serves the bishop is a lot more efficacious to the faith than being a Tabernacle Vigilante standing on a street corner rending one’s garments and decrying how thoughtless, cavalier and conniving are those who actually serve.

Should we tell them what really goes on?

How we came in one day and the safe was wide open from the night before, or that someone forgot to lock the doors to the Church once.

Or that the altar server recieved about ten soaking wet hosts because the priest spilled the precious blood into the ciborium as he was consecrating?

Or the time that the deacon set off the fire alarm with the thurible during first Friday devotions?

Or the time the hispanic ministry took a wireless microphone down the hall without telling anyone and started playing guitar and singing songs right in the middle of an evening Mass? Seriously… "Ola… Sublime gracia, Cuán dulce el sonido… " right in the middle of the Gospel.

Or the time that the altar boy set his hair on fire. youtube.com/watch?v=M7oVqNRQJrQ

The list goes on. If they only knew.

-Tim-

 

[triumphguy]

That’s 'cos we’re all human Tim.

It’s all a re-presentation of Lk 24:7 - the Son of Man will be handed over to sinful men…

And we’re all sinful. And we all handle the Son of Man in a sinful way, since we are all in sin.

And so altar servers, sacristans, deacons, lay people, and priests screw up.

 

[Laetus]

You are grossly overdramatic with words here. It is not “horrible” to count hosts.

How is this so difficult to understand? I REALLY have to tell you how to count items of a container without dumping them out? Really?

And it isn’t the only reason the key is left. You are making such broad statements and judgements about a situation with your own rules that you make up as you go along. Please read what I actually write. Please.

I have yet to see a reason for leaving the key in the lock of the tabernacle.

 

[Laetus]

Excellent post. Being a sacristan who quietly goes about her business serving the priest who serves the bishop is a lot more efficacious to the faith than being a Tabernacle Vigilante standing on a street corner rending one’s garments and decrying how thoughtless, cavalier and conniving are those who actually serve.

There is absolutely no need to count the hosts in a ciborium. It’s important to know if there is a “1/4, 1/3, 1/2, etc.” full ciborium when preparing the gifts but to actually count the consecrated hosts to try and figure out how many received communion? No way.

 

[Laetus]

That’s 'cos we’re all human Tim.

It’s all a re-presentation of Lk 24:7 - the Son of Man will be handed over to sinful men…

And we’re all sinful. And we all handle the Son of Man in a sinful way, since we are all in sin.

And so altar servers, sacristans, deacons, lay people, and priests screw up.

That doesn’t mean that we should intentionally do horrid things like leaving the keys in the tabernacle.

 

[triumphguy]

Maybe it’s not a horrid thing.

Maybe it’s normal 5 minutes before mass, with both the priest and deacon on the premises to have the key in the tabernacle.

Maybe it’s normal, and proper and acceptable and good practice. Maybe it was the priest’s choice. Maybe it was the right thing to do (leave the key in) because the priest had asked for it to be left in. Maybe it’s ONLY the priest’s opinion that matters here, and he made his opinion clear having the key left in the tabernacle. And maybe, since he’s not posting on here **all **our opinions are useless.

 

[TimothyH]

That’s 'cos we’re all human Tim.

It’s all a re-presentation of Lk 24:7 - the Son of Man will be handed over to sinful men…

And we’re all sinful. And we all handle the Son of Man in a sinful way, since we are all in sin.

And so altar servers, sacristans, deacons, lay people, and priests screw up.

Whew, aint it the truth!

-Tim-

 

[paperwight66]

Everyone is completely missing the point. It’s not about “knowing we have enough hosts”

it’s about the number. The pastor wants to know our numbers of communicants at mass.

It is a bit odd, though. Why does he want to know Mass by Mass? As opposed to judging that the 10 am Mass is more crowded than the 11.30?

Or if it’s that important, why not use the ushers to count actual people? Discreetly, of course. Better than doing sums with the Hosts.

Does he need to know because of ordering more?

 

[Diana_Catherine]

… Maybe it was the priest’s choice. Maybe it was the right thing to do (leave the key in) because the priest had asked for it to be left in. Maybe it’s ONLY the priest’s opinion that matters here, and he made his opinion clear having the key left in the tabernacle. And maybe, since he’s not posting on here **all **our opinions are useless.

Exactly and like the OP said:

…at that point, I felt I was under obedience to the priest to leave the key and so I left it there.

Priests are all going to have their way of wanting things ready for them. It is important to do as the Church instructs, obey the priest and protect the host. If a problem is seen talk to the priest first, as the OP did.