Sanctuary Lamp Question

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Tis_Bearself

Patron
A parish I attend has a red sanctuary lamp that hangs up high near the sanctuary. The lamp is in a difficult-to-access spot, hanging up high in a chandelier, and I’m not positive the chandelier can be lowered as this is a very old church. Either way it would take a special procedure, by either lowering the lamp or using a very long tool, or a ladder, to either light the candle in the lamp or replace the candle if necessary.

Last weekend, there was a sacred music performance in the church outside of Mass time, and accordingly the Blessed Sacrament was removed from the tabernacle (left standing open, as is normal to show that Jesus isn’t there) and the lamp extinguished before the musicians set up and played (outside the sanctuary).

When the performance had finished and the musicians had all packed up and left, the Blessed Sacrament was returned to the tabernacle and locked in there, and other candles were lit on the altar as the sacristan and others prepared for a Mass in an hour. The sanctuary lamp wasn’t re-lit, however, and as Mass time approached it remained unlit. I was in the church during this whole time as I’d watched the performance and then decided to hang around in the church and pray for the hour preceding Mass, and then attend Mass.

I finally asked the priest, who happened to be sitting a few pews behind me praying or collecting his thoughts, if the red lamp needed to be lit and he said no, it was fine. He then proceeded to have Mass with the lamp remaining unlit, and it was still unlit when we left. I haven’t been back to that church since to see if they lit it again.

Was this okay? I am not going to report the priest over it, but it just seemed odd. I thought maybe it wasn’t possible to easily access that lamp in the short time frame before Mass and that lighting the other regular altar candles close to the tabernacle were sufficient to show the presence of Jesus.
 
Last edited:
Looking through old threads I only found this:

GIRM 316. In accordance with traditional custom, near the tabernacle a special lamp, fueled by oil or wax, should shine permanently to indicate the presence of Christ and honour it.

If the candles on the altar count, I couldn’t say. Like you mentioned, it probably takes a special tool or procedure to light the lamp and there wasn’t enough time before the mass began. It’s an interesting question and hopefully someone can enlighten us. No pun intended.
 
Do you think it’s possible that no one felt comfortable lighting the lamp, and they were waiting for a person who was physically able to do it without endangering themselves or the building?

I always wait for my husband to change lightbulbs. I m’ afraid of being electrocuted!

Is there a reason you didn’t volunteer to light it?
 
If it had needed lighting, there was a large muscular young man who I presume was a sacristan lighting other candles and putting out the lectionary and so forth and he would have done it. I could not have done it myself, I couldn’t reach it without going up a 15 foot ladder (which someone would have had to bring and set up), or using a special long tool (at least 10-12 foot long) or lowering the lamp (never seen this done and not sure if possible as the light fixture looks like it dates to the late 1800s).

The church doesn’t want random late-middle-aged ladies from the congregation injecting themselves into the sacristan procedures. Bad for their insurance. It’s a big parish so it’s not like they were shorthanded. I’m not even sure if physically I could have managed to deal with it as I don’t usually go up ladders that high.

I mentioned it to the priest because I wasn’t sure if it had been overlooked as LL said. It may very well be that it was overlooked, but we were 15 minutes from Mass time at that point and he may have decided it was not possible to deal with it right then and just told me it was okay to make me go away.
 
Last edited:
Tis_Bearself said:
The church doesn’t want random late-middle-aged ladies from the congregation injecting themselves into the sacristan procedures.
Click to expand...
Perhaps the lamp was broken when the light was extinguished?
Maybe they ran out of the proper fuel and did not realize it until they needed it?

There must be plenty of reasons for it to remain unlit for an hour or two. The sacristan probably could have answered your question.
 
I don’t really care why it was left unlit. I simply wanted to know if it was okay that it was unlit, perhaps in view of the fact that there were candles already lit on the altar.

Can someone answer the procedural question? All this speculation about “why wasn’t it lit” and “why didn’t I run up a ladder and light it myself” is not really the focus of the thread. I’m sure there was some reason why the priest did not rush to light it and probably a good one and I already said I’m not going to be reporting the priest, I simply wanted to know the rules for candles because I don’t know.
 
When Christ is in the tabernacle the lamp should be lit.

I need a chair to reach the oil when it is about to run out. In another parish they use a pole with a hook to lower the lamp and then a second person changes the oil.
 
As I don’t know the set up of your sanctuary and where the tabernacle is located, but I’ll assume it is at least on the Altar. If so, was it veiled? It is my understanding that the red sanctuary lamp indicates the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, but so does the Tabernacle Veil. So if the tabernacle was veiled, then perhaps this was why your priest said the sanctuary lamp not being lit before Mass was ok?
 
It wasn’t veiled. I’m assuming from what HeDa said that it’s a major operation to get the lamp re-lit or changed out and it just wasn’t possible to get it done before Mass in this instance.
 
Thank you for the clarification. Hopefully after Mass however it is lit, would have been done.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top