Questions about other usage of the Naive

[StillWondering]

Hello. I was just reading another thread about a Jewish community using a Catholic church for their own celebration over a few days.

I just wanted to know when a church is used for non-Catholic events, such as a graduation, what is done inside the church to prepare for this. I have never seen this in person. I guess there would be screens around and the Blessed Sacrament taken to another tabernacle.

I am just wondering about the protocol. Is it okay to put drapes or a screen over the alter, crucifix, statues, or stain glass windows?

 

[zab]

Hello. I was just reading another thread about a Jewish community using a Catholic church for their own celebration over a few days.

I just wanted to know when a church is used for non-Catholic events, such as a graduation, what is done inside the church to prepare for this. I have never seen this in person. I guess there would be screens around and the Blessed Sacrament taken to another tabernacle.

I am just wondering about the protocol. Is it okay to put drapes or a screen over the alter, crucifix, statues, or stain glass windows?

I haven’t been able to find any documentation for guidelines on this. But it would seem that if a parish was using the Church space for something like a concert (or allowing a non-Catholic community to use the space for worship) that it would be proper for the priest to remove the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle and put it in a tabernacle in another appropriate area (for example in the tabernacle of the priest’s chapel at the rectory). I don’t think it would be necessary or appropriate to cover all of the statues, crucifix and stained glass windows. And really, I cannot imagine that a grateful congregation or faith community would go to the length in covering what may be offensive images in a church that was offering them hospitality.

 

[Phemie]

We lived on a former USAF Base. Unlike Canadian military bases, where there were usually 2 chapels, one Catholic, one Protestant, the USAF Base chapel was used by both communities. The main chapel had no tabernacle but there was a separate small chapel (seating for about 10) for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament. There was a travelling sanctuary cross: turning a crank moved the cross sideways to hide behind a curtain and brought the crucifix into view.