Tabernacle placement must be 'central and visible,' Bishop D'Arcy says [CNA]

[CNA_News]

Fort Wayne, Ind., Jul 19, 2009 / 04:56 am (CNA).- Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend John M. D’Arcy has issued new norms on the placement of the tabernacle in churches, aiming to end controversy on the topic.

The bishop described the new norms and the reasons for them in a July 19 letter posted on the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend website and addressed to priests, deacons, religious, and all the faithful.

“The presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is at the center of our faith and of the devotional life of our Catholic people,” his letter began.

Full article…

 

[rlg94086]

Fort Wayne, Ind., Jul 19, 2009 / 04:56 am (CNA).- Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend John M. D’Arcy has issued new norms on the placement of the tabernacle in churches, aiming to end controversy on the topic.

The bishop described the new norms and the reasons for them in a July 19 letter posted on the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend website and addressed to priests, deacons, religious, and all the faithful.

“The presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is at the center of our faith and of the devotional life of our Catholic people,” his letter began.

Full article…

Good for him! I wish more Bishops would do this. I used to travel a lot, and I always tired of playing the “find the tabernacle” game.

 

[Georgia]

This bishop deserves praise. He boycotted Mr. Obama’s speech at Notre Dame over the abortion stance of this administration. This man takes the faith very seriously.

BTW, I do so agree about the “find the tabernacle” game. It is harder with many churches using tabernacles that have something of an abstract front. My family and I were out of town this weekend, so we visited a church that we had never seen before. I was not at all sure that I was genuflecting before the tabernacle, but I took my best guess. I said a silent prayer that I hoped Our Lord understood that I was doing my best. As it turned out, it was the tabernacle, but the design and the placement of the red lamp a bit of a distance away made it hard to tell just what was the real thing.

 

[philhofs]

It’s about time. Our churches have for some time taken Jesus out of the spotlight and made it about the people. I hope many more will follow the bishops lead to make Jesus the center of attention.