Secular Events in the Church Sanctuary

[HumblePilgrim]

I do not know if I can ask this question here. I am not sure if this question is correct or not. But, I saw pictures of Vice-President Pence speaking at the podium for an event in my parish church. It was an event talking about US relations with Venezuela. I live in a very heavily populated Venezuelan neighbourhood. Was the church the proper venue for this? Isn’t the church a holy and consecrated place. They did let me know that they removed the Blessed Sacrament and stuff but they had a podium set up on the altar platform with various political speakers speaking as well. I am not sure if it was correct for there to be a profane activity being held inside the church. Evangelical churches do this all the time but I have never heard of this before. Please, tell me if I am wrong. I am a convert and not familiar with canon law.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

This is the type of event that would need the permission of the Pastor, and more than likely the Bishop.
That said, I would not worry about it being improper.

 

[pianistclare]

“Blessed sacrament and stuff?”

Yes, removing the Blessed sacrament to a place of repose is what is done when secular events are held in churches, like concerts, speeches, etc.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’m pretty sure they don’t do this unless they get appropriate permission for it. I would note that I have been to a well-known Catholic church in New York City that holds many concert events outside Mass times, some of them fairly avant-garde and many of them selling out all the space in the church, and there is no problem with that as far as I know, so I presume there is also no problem with a speech if permission is obtained through the proper channels.

 

[tawny]

“Blessed sacrament and stuff?”

Yes, removing the Blessed sacrament to a place of repose is what is done when secular events are held in churches, like concerts, speeches, etc.

Correct.

 

[CB_Catholic]

I do not know if I can ask this question here. I am not sure if this question is correct or not. But, I saw pictures of Vice-President Pence speaking at the podium for an event in my parish church. It was an event talking about US relations with Venezuela. I live in a very heavily populated Venezuelan neighbourhood. Was the church the proper venue for this? Isn’t the church a holy and consecrated place. They did let me know that they removed the Blessed Sacrament and stuff but they had a podium set up on the altar platform with various political speakers speaking as well. I am not sure if it was correct for there to be a profane activity being held inside the church. Evangelical churches do this all the time but I have never heard of this before. Please, tell me if I am wrong. I am a convert and not familiar with canon law.

Yes, it is permitted and the Blessed Sacrament is reposed elsewhere.

 

[Usige]

Permitted, yes.
A good idea? No.

I know many places have taken to using the nave and sanctuary as multi use spaces, but it does tend to diminish reverence for the sanctuary. In essence the sanctuary becomes part of a stage where Mass is celebrated and then the “Mass props” like the altar, presider’s chair, and blessed sacrament are switched out for musicians chairs or the screen for movies or the Modest Fashions show.

The sanctuary is not just where sacred things are, but is a sacred place itself that is set aside for worship of God. It is where the most sacred mystery of our faith takes place day after day.

I get that from a practical stand point it seems like a perfect way to “reuse” an investment that might sit idle most the time. It has lights, sound, and plenty of seating so it certainly makes a kind of sense to not reinvest, but it just saddens me that we have lost a sense that there are sacred times, sacred things, and sacred places.

Could you imagine setting a string quartet up in the Holy Sepulchre because it gave a warm acoustic? Of course not, because it is sacred now just was it was when Christ was present in the tomb. If that is the case why would we hold that where the Holy Spirit descends and Christ is physically present day after day is suddenly not sacred simply because a few things were moved?

I’m not blaming you or anyone else of that belief, but it makes me heart sick that we have forgotten that churches are modeled after the Temple which is based on the plans God himself gave to Moses and the Israelis. I don’t ever remember anyplace in Exodus that the Ark of the Convent and the Mercy Seat, the dwelling place of God, was taken out of the tabernacle so that they could hold dances.

 

[DebChris]

I learned as a military dependent to look for the small red light indicating the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. The base chapel was used for non-Catholic services as well as Catholic services. It was also used during the summer for catechism.
Removing the Blessed Sacrament to a place of repose, as others have already stated, does allow the the Sanctuary to be used for purposes other than liturgical services.
An example would be a play put on by the religious education class, or a concert by a visiting musician.
Not every parish has a parish hall with adequate sitting for such events.

The parish to which I belonged overseas was a large parish with a multipurpose hall. The multipurpose hall was, as its name implied used for various get togethers, adult education, and several of the weekend Masses.
There was no need to use the main Sanctuary, or the Mother Church within the compound for anything other than worship.
Not every parish has a multipurpose hall. Not every parish has a school with a gym where chairs can be placed for a large assembly.

 

[Casilda]

Permitted, yes.
A good idea? No.

I know many places have taken to using the nave and sanctuary as multi use spaces, but it does tend to diminish reverence for the sanctuary. In essence the sanctuary becomes part of a stage where Mass is celebrated and then the “Mass props” like the altar, presider’s chair, and blessed sacrament are switched out for musicians chairs or the screen for movies or the Modest Fashions show.

The sanctuary is not just where sacred things are, but is a sacred place itself that is set aside for worship of God. It is where the most sacred mystery of our faith takes place day after day.

I get that from a practical stand point it seems like a perfect way to “reuse” an investment that might sit idle most the time. It has lights, sound, and plenty of seating so it certainly makes a kind of sense to not reinvest, but it just saddens me that we have lost a sense that there are sacred times, sacred things, and sacred places.

Could you imagine setting a string quartet up in the Holy Sepulchre because it gave a warm acoustic? Of course not, because it is sacred now just was it was when Christ was present in the tomb. If that is the case why would we hold that where the Holy Spirit descends and Christ is physically present day after day is suddenly not sacred simply because a few things were moved?
**
I’m not blaming you or anyone else of that belief, but it makes me heart sick that we have forgotten that churches are modeled after the Temple which is based on the plans God himself gave to Moses and the Israelis. I don’t ever remember anyplace in Exodus that the Ark of the Convent and the Mercy Seat, the dwelling place of God, was taken out of the tabernacle so that they could hold dances**.

It is a consecrated place where the heavens open and angels descend and Christ is present in the Eucharist, where babes are baptized and confirmed in the faith and where men and women make their vows of marriage, where priests and deacons are ordained. An Holy place.

Today it’s a building, subject to fees charged for multi-usage. Got to keep the lights on

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Permitted, yes.
A good idea? No.

I know many places have taken to using the nave and sanctuary as multi use spaces, but it does tend to diminish reverence for the sanctuary. In essence the sanctuary becomes part of a stage where Mass is celebrated and then the “Mass props” like the altar, presider’s chair, and blessed sacrament are switched out for musicians chairs or the screen for movies or the Modest Fashions show.

The sanctuary is not just where sacred things are, but is a sacred place itself that is set aside for worship of God. It is where the most sacred mystery of our faith takes place day after day.

I get that from a practical stand point it seems like a perfect way to “reuse” an investment that might sit idle most the time. It has lights, sound, and plenty of seating so it certainly makes a kind of sense to not reinvest, but it just saddens me that we have lost a sense that there are sacred times, sacred things, and sacred places.

Could you imagine setting a string quartet up in the Holy Sepulchre because it gave a warm acoustic? Of course not, because it is sacred now just was it was when Christ was present in the tomb. If that is the case why would we hold that where the Holy Spirit descends and Christ is physically present day after day is suddenly not sacred simply because a few things were moved?

I’m not blaming you or anyone else of that belief, but it makes me heart sick that we have forgotten that churches are modeled after the Temple which is based on the plans God himself gave to Moses and the Israelis. I don’t ever remember anyplace in Exodus that the Ark of the Convent and the Mercy Seat, the dwelling place of God, was taken out of the tabernacle so that they could hold dances.

Since you are studying for the diaconate, I presume you know that the churches of Rome are frequently used for concerts and opera performances…as they have been for centuries. This is also true in many other European cities and towns.

The Church on the continent was the great patron of the arts. Rather than being heart sick, I have been quite happy to participate in these events across years as an expression of continuity with our past involving promotion of culture and the arts.

 

[DebChris]

Since you are studying for the diaconate, I presume you know that the churches of Rome are frequently used for concerts and opera performances…as they have been for centuries. This is also true in many other European cities and towns.

The Church on the continent was the great patron of the arts. Rather than being heart sick, I have been quite happy to participate in these events across years as an expression of continuity with our past involving promotion of culture and the arts.

I think sometimes we forget that the Church is the people of God. The building that we call a church is a place of assembly, a place where we can worship.
Yes, growing up I was taught that the church, the building, was the house of God. Very often it may be the only place that is large enough for an assembly where concerts and other performances can be held.

In my earlier post, I mentioned the multi-purpose room of the church that I attended while living in the Middle East. Before the Arab Spring, the room would used as a banquet hall while the military band played in the balcony. Performances and talks are given from the stage. The same space is transformed for weekend Masses, or for the overflow from the main Church during a New Year’s Eve Adoration.