Tabernacle: Location?

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Stylteralmaldo

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Ok, maybe I’m just a traditionalist Catholic, but I am of the belief that the Tabernacle where the Eucharistic Lord resides needs to be in the front of the Church in the center of the front of church and not off to the side or worse yet, in a chaple outside of the church.

Then I viewed this thread today:

Where’s the tabernacle?

It was a clever reminder by the priest as to where the Tabernacle is (which is ourselves) once we receive him in Holy Communion.

But then I got to thinking about some upcoming renovations that will be coming to our church in the not too distant future. My pastor wants to move the Tabernacle off to the side. I just think this is wrong. Perhaps he doesn’t see the problem since we become the tabernacle when we receive Jesus in Eucharist?

I hope the general consensus is that it does matter that the Tabernacle (not us but the box which the Eucharist resides) will remain at the center of the front of the building as a reminder that Jesus is there, front and center of our church.

Thoughts?
 
Front and center.

Less confusion and more reverence is a result.

In addition the tabernacle is for reserved hosts. The idea of us being the tabernacle just doesn’t do it for me.
 
buffalo said:
In addition the tabernacle is for reserved hosts. The idea of us being the tabernacle just doesn’t do it for me.
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WHAT???
Never heard that one before…

Tell your priest your concerns. If the renovations have not begun yet, then changes can be made.
 
I wish ours was front and center but we have a chapel for the tabernacle to the side of the church. It has its advantages since the church itself is locked up during the day but the chapel remains open from 8-5 I think. There’s always someone there praying. The majority of parishoners show reverence when they pass the chapel (there is a huge glass window where you can see it from inside the church and everyone either bows or genuflects when passing it. But I would still like for it to be on the altar if I had to choose.
 
When our new church was built, I did extensive research on this issue. The Church does not require that the tabernacle be placed front and center, and even allows it to be placed in a seperate chapel, if the main church is subjected to frequent traffic. For example, some of the larger basilicas have seperate chapels for the tabernacle because of the constant flow of tourists.

Our church has a reservation chapel for the tabernacle. At first, I was strongly opposed to this, but eventually decided it was best. After Mass, there is a lot of activity with people visiting, or setting up for the next Mass, and it’s very difficult for anyone who wants to remain there and pray. With the seperate chapel, which is attached to the main church, people can pray quietly before the tabernacle without being disturbed by the activity.
 
So long as the Tabernacle isnt kept hidden, as in one parish I used to attend in another Diocese, in the Sacristy.
 
Michael_Welter said:
After Mass, there is a lot of activity with people visiting, or setting up for the next Mass, and it’s very difficult for anyone who wants to remain there and pray. With the seperate chapel, which is attached to the main church, people can pray quietly before the tabernacle without being disturbed by the activity.
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However, the Sanctuary is not for visiting. Thus the tabernacle should remain at the altar, where it belongs.

I can understand Cathedrals and Basilicas, since they are, more often than not, tourist locations. In your average parish, however, this is not the case. And the attention, honor, worship and respect due to our Lord should be followed and established.

Why should Jesus be moved to accommodate the people visiting in the Church? And those setting up for the next Mass should do so in silence and respect of Our Lord, and those who are staying to pray.
 
Why would anyone genuflect without the presense of the LORD in the Tabernacle?:confused: Catholic churchs should not look like protestant churchs.:mad:
 
I have a very frustrating time often when I’m in an unfamiliar church (for me) knowing where to face to genuflect before entering the pew. :confused: I look all over for the tabernacle and only some of the time do I find it. (Unless it’s right up where everyone can see it’s also very hard to know when the hosts are back inside it after Communion, so I know when I can respectfully sit rather than kneel - everyone used to know when the priest sat down but that isn’t at all true now days). As for people, in the average parish, visiting after mass - they need to wait until they’re outside the sanctuary, IMHO!!! 😦
 
It has varied from place to place. It is on the left side at my usual parish. In my travels it has been in the center, just to the left of center, just to the right of center, off in a side room usually reserved for adoration/cry room, and off in a side room where I was unable to find it.
 
The Holy Father’s recent Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatisdevotes an entire paragraph (#69) on the subject, which is reposted below for your viewing pleasure:
Sacramentum Caritatis:
The location of the tabernacle
  1. In considering the importance of eucharistic reservation and adoration, and reverence for the sacrament of Christ’s sacrifice, the Synod of Bishops also discussed the question of the proper placement of the tabernacle in our churches. (196) The correct positioning of the tabernacle contributes to the recognition of Christ’s real presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, the place where the eucharistic species are reserved, marked by a sanctuary lamp, should be readily visible to everyone entering the church. It is therefore necessary to take into account the building’s architecture: in churches which do not have a Blessed Sacrament chapel, and where the high altar with its tabernacle is still in place, it is appropriate to continue to use this structure for the reservation and adoration of the Eucharist, taking care not to place the celebrant’s chair in front of it. In new churches, it is good to position the Blessed Sacrament chapel close to the sanctuary; where this is not possible, it is preferable to locate the tabernacle in the sanctuary, in a sufficiently elevated place, at the centre of the apse area, or in another place where it will be equally conspicuous. Attention to these considerations will lend dignity to the tabernacle, which must always be cared for, also from an artistic standpoint. Obviously it is necessary to follow the provisions of the *General Instruction of the Roman Missal *in this regard. (197) In any event, final judgment on these matters belongs to the Diocesan Bishop.
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Christ should be the center of our hearts and minds whether in worship or at work.
The priest has a point about the tabernacle of Jesus is in us, but if we only and truly believe and submit to His love and majesty.
The Bible says, “…that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God; and you are not your own ?” I Corinthians 6:19
Those who repented/s, accepted/s and baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity are the living dwelling place of the Holy Ghost.

But

I don’t agree with him about putting the Tabernacle of Eucharist to a side chapel. If he believed that we are the living tabernacle of Christ why is he going to remove the “visible” Tabernacle in the high altar which represents Christ in the Holy of Holies, the center of the Church doctrines and traditions to be placed in a less honorable area. The tabernacle should be visible in the church, so the High Altar is the appropriate place for it, and not on the side. It is also applied to us Christians that if we are the living tabernacle of Christ then He should be also visible in our words, thoughts and deeds, the center of our lives.

Go and tell him about this issue or as a church you all can address it to him that you all want the physical tabernacle to be still placed on the High Altar even after the renovation. Whatever the reasons are the Tabernacle should be always in the high altar the center of the sanctuary in my own belief and opinion.

I pray and hope that your priest will listen to you and the congregation.

:signofcross:

Pax
Laudater Jesus Christo
Instaurare omnia in Christo
 
What about the people who do not receive? Do we then ignore them or treat them the same as the ones who receive?

How do we know who to treat as just receiving Jesus and those who have abstained because they are aware of grave sin?

We know Jesus is truly present in the Tabernacle, and if He is the center of our faith He should be placed with the most prominence. This should either be at center or in a prominant chapel, easily identifiable and a place of respect.

This human worship is misguided. We should certainly respect and see Jesus in others. Love one another, yet realize that Jesus is God and infinitely more important than everything else.
Until everyone receives which is impossible because we all sin and not all of us has time or the holiness to confess enough then we should respect those who don’t receive out of humility.

In Christ
Scylla
 
STYLTERAMALDO,
I fully agree With You in the matter of place for tabernacle.
It really makes me sad when sometimes you don’t know which way to turn
in the church to kneel down.
But the “theory” to kneel down in front of each other after holy communion is very dangerous.If not right heretic, then you must laugh at the naive idea.Let’s imagine how many people today
are sacrilegious, how many don’t really believe they just received
Jesus Christ, divorced people, because many think they are deprived wrongfully of communion etc.
 
I for one support the notion of a tabernacle in a side chapel designed so it is visible from both the church and in the chapel. I saw this in my cousin’s church. He had to replace the wall behind the altar because of structural damaged, and made the new wall steel frame with industrial strength unbreakable glass panels, some stained some colored soft gold. He turned the old sacristy and storage space behind the altar into a day chapel. Solid steel doors with decorated embossed surfaces close off the chapel from the main church when it is not in use, and outside doors allow 24 hr access to the chapel. the tabernacle is visible from either side at all times. on the chapel side it is behind a decorated gold plated grill so it is visible but safe from anyone with evil intent.

The church had been broken into several times and was locked 24 hrs a day. now the chapel is open 24 hrs a day, the entrance is well lighted and monitored by security cameras by their alarm company. he has been able to restore adoration hours, which had been unknown in that parish. He also saved a considerable amount on electricity. the day chapel is used for morning Mass and even small weddings and baptisms, adding to energy savings.

If the tabernacle had remained in the main church they likely would still not have adoration in that parish.
 
Let me voice my support for a prominent, centralized place for the tabernacle. We also have a side chapel used for devotional, security, and the energy saving reasons as have been stated above. This side chapel is not directly connected to the main sanctuary.

My parishes solution was to petition our bishop for a special permission to deviate from the norm and have two tabernacles in our parish which the bishop granted permission for in writing. One tabernacle is central in the main church and one is in the separate side chapel. This arrangement has been a great blessing for our parish.

As far as moving the tabernacle to emphasize that the people are tabernacles of the Holy Spirit, I disagree as the faithful are “Spiritual” tabernacles 100% of the time they possess sanctifying grace, and physical tabernacles but for a short time after the reception of communion. The tabernacle contains the “physical” presence of Christ 100% of the time the hosts are reserved there and thus deserves a special honor and centralized place in the Church.
 
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