Placement of the Tabernacle

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Angle Girl:
What do you think of a parish that is building a new church and have put the tabernacle in the back of the church, in a small chaple, next to the Reconciliation Chaple?
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One may also genuflect toward the high altar if a tabernacle is not present. Of course many churches these days do not have a high altar. . . .
 
We have a nearby parish that has the tabernacle in the back. When I visit that parish I prefer to sit in the back close to the main attraction, the REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS.
 
If I am not familiar with the particular church I find it difficult to know where to genuflect toward nowdays. I used to look for the light to signify Christ’s presence in the Tabernacle. Now my eye sights so bad coming from daylight to interior light, I just want to know where it is before I mistakenly bow to the nearest exit sign or potted plant with a candle burning nearby. :o
 
I love when I see our Lord reserved in a place of highest honor atop his earthly throne above the altar! This tradition was formed when people doubted the Real Presence in the Eucharist.

When we know where our Lord is upon entering the Church voices become mute, holiness is attained, genuflecting becomes habit, and a sense of being in the presence of God is achieved!

Today, new Catholic Churches look ugly and without reverence.
 
Defensor Fidei:
Not a problem at all. If you go to Italy into Churches that date back as early as the 5th and 6th century, there is not tabernacle in the rear of the sanctary. Infact there are many side chapels which many have their own tabernacle. Adoration chapels when done right are very good.

-Ted
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Code: 
  We're not in Italy, although many "modern" churches
  in US, prefer to hide Jesus from the faithful.
 
Catholic Mom 1:
When we enter a Catholic Church, we are there to pray in the presence of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. We do this within the context of the Mass or in Adoration outside of the Mass. Since the Eucharist is the center of our Catholic prayer, shouldn’t it be the Center of the Church itself? It seems that the most appropriate place for the tabernacle is front and center of the altar so that all who enter might reverently approach Our Lord. It is difficult to enter a Catholic Church where the tabernacle is nowhere to be found. In what direction should I genuflect? Further, without Our Lord’s presence in the Church proper, it seems that reverence for the holy place we have entered is lost. Having the tabernacle in plain view reminds us all of the sacredness of the place we have entered as well as the reason we have come in the first place. An adoration chapel is wonderful. Why not use it for perpetual adoration? In this way, Our Lord can be adored in the chapel and still maintain His place of honor on the altar.
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i agree with your clear, yet simple answer.
 
Two years ago our parish built a big, new church. It was nice considering some of the horror stories I’ve heard about auditorium-style “architechture” that is popular. The main problem is that when you enter the big carved wooden doors from I believe, India and enter the church, you look at the nice Italian marble Altar and beautiful tile all around and wonder, “Where is Jesus?” There is no Tabernacle there, or even to the side. Jesus is BEHIND the altar in a separate chapel. So when a visitor comes in to this Church, he has to search for Jesus. I was told that there was to be a Tabernacle that could be accessible from the Altar and the Chapel, but that is not how it turned out. It was very dissappointing! Jesus should be in a place of prominence. You should know when you are entering a Catholic Church that it IS CATHOLIC by the presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle!
Well, because of that and other things that were happening I decided to leave my Parish where I have family and friends who go there too. It was hard but I found a Church that when you walk in, you have that sense of AWE , REVERENCE, BEAUTY and right up front behind the Pre-Vatican II Altar is OUR LORD in the TABERNACLE. I’m very happy in my new Parish, we are celebrating a 150 Year anniversary this year.
So, the answer to your question for me was to leave, but I understand some do not have that option. I will keep your Parish in my prayers as I do my former Parish.
 
I belonged to a parish a few years back which was completely renovated. The tabernacle was moved to the back of the church in an open room in the vestibule. Quiet prayer was impossible as people would go by hooting and hollering. And since Christ was no longer present in the Tabernacle in the worship area, it became as cacophonous as a three ring circus. Reverence was gone! There were a number of other problems with this new architecture and I hear that they have already had to re-renovate the church and move the Tabernacle to a closed chapel in the front of the church. Quite a waste of money on an ill-planned renovation.
 
WOW! I have learned alot from reading all of your posts…thank you! This is a very timely question for me. We just moved to a new archdiocese in Omaha NE about a year ago. This archdiocese is totally awsome! Our Arch Bishop rocks! And the good and holy priests are too numerous to count. So I was shocked and saddened when we walked into our newly built parish and the tabernacle was in a side chapel. I really miss having Jesus in the main church. Our family will go out of our way to visit Jesus in His little “apartment” before or after Mass, but I think of the people, especially the children who won’t even know what a Tabernacle is.😦 Even just the Grace that flows from just being in His presence is gone when He is locked up in a seperate room. If we think our generation (the 40 something) got ripped off…our kid’s generation won’t stand a chance…why should we give them less than what we had? From what I have learned, the church is technically “in the guidelines”, but I’m not sure it is the “best thing” for any of us… I guess time will tell. If any of you can enlighten me…I would appreciate it!

God is good…all the time!
Blessings,
paula
 
🙂 Yes, I do agree! The Bishop of Omaha, Nebraska is one of the BEST Bishops in the USA, together with the Archbishop of Denver, the Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Bishop of Scranton, Penn. All of them are great!
Blessings.:clapping:
 
misericordie said:
🙂 Yes, I do agree! The Bishop of Omaha, Nebraska is one of the BEST Bishops in the USA, together with the Archbishop of Denver, the Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Bishop of Scranton, Penn. All of them are great!
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Since when does anyone have the ability to “rank and rate” their favorite bishops? I barely know anything about my own, much less those in other parts of the country.
 
I generally agree with this, but one should genuflect when crossing in front of the tabernacle. In my Parish Church (a Cathedral), one must cross in front of the tabernacle, which is located on a side Altar, to enter the Confessional. I always genuflect because that’s what I was taught when I was young. I was also taught that if the tabernacle is open, you should be on your knees. I think this fosters reverence and respect for the Eucharist. How tucking the tabernacle out of sight does that is beyond me…
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Katie-Scarlett:
I just copied this from something called “Genuflecting Do’s and Don’t’s”. Cannot verify the source, but nothing seems wrong with it to me, but it would help, especially for the young, to have clarity on this issue.
  • We genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament (not to the Crucifix).
  • It’s only necessary to genuflect when entering and leaving the church, not every single time you go out of the pew.
  • Bend on one knee, the right knee, and it should actually touch the floor, and slightly bow the head.
  • It’s not necessary to make the sign of the Cross, but permissible if customary.
  • If moving about the church for activities, etc, a slight pause before the crucifix or altar, with a bow of the head is respectful. This is of course not the same as genuflecting, but a way to be attentive to God’s presence and not have the atmosphere of an auditorium.
  • When the Blessed Sacrament is exposed (Adoration, or as some now call it “Exposition”), we enter the church and genuflect on BOTH knees, and then enter the pew. When leaving, also fully kneel on the ground, bow the head and then rise to leave.
  • Also, some folks come to church now but only stand and bow their head and then sit down. They do not genuflect. Unless age or infirmity prevents genuflection, this is wrong and disrespectful to the Blessed Sacrament.
  • No genuflecting is done if there is no Tabernacle (such as in some Chapels) or on Good Friday when the Tabernacle is empty.
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misericordie said:
🙂 Yes, I do agree! The Bishop of Omaha, Nebraska is one of the BEST Bishops in the USA, together with the Archbishop of Denver, the Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Bishop of Scranton, Penn. All of them are great!
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Are you referring to Bishop Timlin (now retired), or to Scranton’s current Ordinary, Bishop Martino?

Melman, are you just being contrarian? What in the world is wrong with noting that some bishops do their jobs well?
 
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dcs:
Melman, are you just being contrarian? What in the world is wrong with noting that some bishops do their jobs well?
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I am simply wondering where people would get the information to allow them to keep a “scorecard” of bishops outside their diocese. I know nothing of any of them.
 
Ah and we have two newcomers who are quite great too, Bishop Sheridan of Colorado Springs and Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona - sound teaching.
 
Melman:
I am simply wondering where people would get the information to allow them to keep a “scorecard” of bishops outside their diocese. I know nothing of any of them.
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Usually be reading what those Bishops are saying, teaching and doing in Catholic Periodicals, Catholic Forums and the the like.

It’s not that hard but it does take some time and awareness of what’s going on in the Catholic Communities of the World -

For instance if you read that Bishop A. is teaching valid Catholic doctrine, against abortion, etc. etc. and that Bishop B. in some other diocese has defied Rome on any subject - then it’s not too hard to make these determinations. All Dioceses have web pages and on those web sites there are usually messages or letters from that particular Bishop - should you read them and see that they are very supportive of the true teachings of the Catholic Church - you say “good guy” and if not, then you question their Bishopship (is that a word?).
 
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Thomas:
So anyone at the ambo has his back directly to the tabernacle. It seemed irreverent, even knuckleheaded to me.
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Our whole church is like that. The Blessed Sacrament Chpel, is just a small alcove in the back of the church. It has a couple of chairs in it…four, maybe. The point is that everyone has their backs to the tablernacle during Mass.
We are building a large new church (1500 seats), and have corrected that situation. The BSC will be where everyone can see the tablernacle. We had to make the back the front to do this…and have the baptismal pool where we could all see it…but it is worth it…
People are getting tired of the “new” church archetecture…Please read Michel Rose’s “Renovation Manipulation”…I will certainly be enlightening…
 
About “rating” bishops, I agree with you Catholiclady…and I know in my case I have actually lived in several states in the last 20 years, so I have personal experience with many bishops…and some do “go out on a limb” to defend our Church. Bravo to them!

About genuflecting in front of the Tabernacle…very interesting. People walking into our church for the first time wouldn’t even know where our Tabernacle is. That is the shame. It took our family quite some time to figure out what to do. Everyone bows to the alter, which I understand is correct, some people genuflect to the alter, probably just out of habit. We used to go to our pews and turn around and genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, but sometimes we would be walking right past it to get to our pew without any reguard to It at all. That didn’t seem right. so now we just genuflect when we pass It, and then bow to the alter. but very, very few people do actually genuflect in front of the Chapel. That is disturbing to me. It’s just plain confusing.:confused:
another good read is Michael Rose’s “Ugly as Sin”. I picked that book up as soon as I got here.

God Bless,
Paula
 
Placement of the TabernacleWhat the Church Says

“The tabernacle is to be situated in churches in a most worthy place with the greatest honor.”

—*Catechism of the Catholic Church, *No. 1183
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“The tabernacle in which the Most Holy Eucharist is reserved should be placed in a part of the church that is prominent, conspicuous, beautifully decorated, and suitable for private prayer.”

—Canon 938.2, Code of Canon Law, 1983
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“The tabernacle in which the Eucharist is kept can be located on an altar, or away from it, in a spot in the church which is very prominent, truly noble, and duly decorated.”

*—Inaestimabile Donum, *Pope John Paul II, 1980
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“According to directives of the Holy See, since the Second Vatican Council, tabernacles are always solid and inviolable and located in the middle of the main altar or a side altar, but always in a truly prominent place.”

*—Catholic Dictionary, *1979
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“Locating a tabernacle on an altar always remains a valid option.”

—Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite
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“The Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a solid, inviolable tabernacle in the middle of the altar, or in a side altar, but in a truly prominent place.”

*—Eucharisticum Mysterium, *Pope Paul VI, 1965
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“Disregarding the warnings and legislation of the Holy See, many people have made unwarranted changes in places of worship under the pretext of carrying out the reform of the liturgy and have thus caused the disfigurement or loss of priceless works of art… bishops are to exercise unfailing vigilance to ensure that remodeling of places of worship by reason of the reform of the liturgy is carried out with the utmost caution.”

*—Opera artis, *Pope Paul VI, 1971
​

In a prominent place. The tabernacle is where the Lord Jesus Christ is located. It is the cornerstone of the Catholic Church. The above is what the Church states.
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