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clarkent
Guest
Is it okay to use the sanctuary as a stage for concerts?
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tjmiller
Guest
No.
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jay29
Guest
Not in Catholic Churches. It is still a house of God and the sanctuary is not a place for entertainment.
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FrCorey
Guest
yeah really.
would you ask God if you could play poker in his living room? even the books we use are set asside just for thier special use.
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warrior71
Guest
If the Tabernacle is in the Sanctuary I would say no. That would be grossly disrespectful and a violation of sacred space.
On the other hand, if all that is in the sanctuary are the table/altar, chairs, ambo and lectern, then I don’t really see a problem with it. There is really nothing sacred there, and everyone has access to the area anyway. The community aspect that is encouraged these days might actually welcome a concert in the hopes of further unifying the congregation.
I’ve seen plays and I guess what could be called liturgical dancing performed in the sanctuary before, but never a concert.
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maryj
Guest
The Christmas program at our Catholic school was always put on in the church. It was not just a choir concert it was an actual play. The Tabernackle(sp?) was always removed, as were the altar and pretty much everything else. It was deffinately an Orthodox Church so I’m gonna assume nothing wrong with using the church for other things besides Mass.Just my experience!!
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CatholicCid
Guest
Should not the Altar be respected as it is the Place where Christ’s Sacrafice happens?
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Catholic2003
Guest
Canon 1210 In a sacred place only those things are to be permitted which serve to exercise or promote worship, piety and religion. Anything out of harmony with the holiness of the place is forbidden. The Ordinary may however, for individual cases, permit other uses, provided they are not contrary to the sacred character of the place.
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cameron_lansing
Guest
Catholic2003 said:
Absolutely, and to elaborate, the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, “Concerts in Churches” (prot. no. 1251/87; 5 November 1987) for fuller background. It has been made available at adoremus.org/concerts.html.
Much will depend on the circumstances, e.g. the kind of music, what is mean by “sanctuary” in the original post, and what the diocesan bishop decides in the particular case (assuming this is a parish church) after hearing the details. Clearly suitable sacred rather than secular music would be envisioned, but the db (usually) will determine the answer.
Most precisely “ sanctuary” refers to the area of the altar with seating for the clergy and assisting ministers. A sanctuary would be found in a church (canon 1214) or oratory (canon 1223) or private chapel (canon 1226). These are sacred places (canon 1205) in which divine worship takes place. As sacred places they would be dedicated or blessed (canons 1206-1207). Often the Most Holy Eucharist either must be, or may be, reserved in such a place, according to the norm of canon 934. It may or may not be reserved in the sanctuary itself.
The broader question then would be of sacred places rather than sanctuary per se.
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warrior71
Guest
The altar if you still call it that, most refer to it as a table, has nothing intrinsically holy about it. I don’t know if they are still required to have a relic imbedded in it, and they are still blessed, but unless the Tabernacle is still within the sanctuary, then that whole area is just another part of the church. The priest doesn’t even have to celebrate Mass there if he doesn’t want to. A separate table/altar can be set up in another location in the Church, usually in the Nave, with equal effectiveness and correctness.
It was the presence of the Tabernacle in the Sanctuary that made it a sacred place, not the table/altar.
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donosti
Guest
I 've heard on some cathedrals and churches concerts of classical and sacred music are held.I think using the sanctuary of the church as a stage,is incorrect and it shouldn’t be permmited.That’s a sacred place and it must be respected.
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AltarMan
Guest
Nope.
It’s the presence of the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ inside the tabernacle that makes the entire building so special. With the Blessed Sacrament removed, the enternal light extinguished and the door left ajar, the tabernacle is nothing more than an unused safe…
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Chatter163
Guest
Sorry, but that is completely wrong. Sanctuaries were sacred places long before tabernacles arrived in the middle ages, and they remain so today.
“The altar, if you still call it that”? How absurd! The Church continues to call it an altar; just read the missal. Of course there is a certain table element to it, but that is only one part of the equation. The Church refers to it as an altar, and I do not know on what basis the assertion that “most call it a table” is made. Maybe most progressive liturgists utter that, but not too many others use that term.
A relic is no longer required, but is encouraged. An altar is not only blessed; it is consecrated by a bishop. That is quite sufficient to make the sanctuary sacred.
Of course a priest is to celebrate Mass at an altar; that is its function. The fact that free-standing altars were placed in front of old high altars does NOT mean that a priest is free to come into church and arbitrarily decide to set up a snack table on whichj to celebrate Mass.
Sheesh!
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emsvetich
Guest
Thank you. I could not agree more. You are correct! I was floored by the response from warrior. In fact, I have read a number of articles indicating that NOTHING should be placed on the altar so as not to profane the table where the body and blood of Christ is sacfificed. After each mass in our parish, the altar is covered by an overcloth to further protect it.
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AltarMan
Guest
We need to keep in mind that “altar” is Latin for “table.” It’s sad to hear someone try to denigrate the altar by calling it a “table.” I doubt they know how foolish it is. Let’s take a quick look at the GIRM:
GIRM 300. An altar whether fixed or movable is dedicated according to the rite prescribed in the Roman Pontifical; but it is permissible for a movable altar simply to be blessed.
GIRM 301. In keeping with the Church’s traditional practice and the altar’s symbolism, the table of a fixed altar is to be of stone and indeed of natural stone. In the dioceses of the United States of America, however, wood which is worthy, solid, and well-crafted may be used, provided that the altar is structurally immobile. The supports or base for upholding the table, however, may be made of any sort of material, provided it is worthy and solid.
A movable altar may be constructed of any noble and solid materials suited to liturgical use, according to the traditions and usages of the different regions.
GIRM 302. The practice of placing relics of Saints, even those not Martyrs, under the altar to be dedicated is fittingly retained. Care should be taken, however, to ensure the authenticity of such relics.
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Chatter163
Guest
Actually, mensa, the top of an altar, is the Latin word for table. The Latin word for altar is altare.
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JKirkLVNV
Guest
Catholic2003 said:
The bishop of the diocese I used to live in permitted the Paris Boys Choir to present a concert, but it was all classical or classical-sacred music. Even then, the rector removed the Blessed Sacrament and reposed the Sacred Species elsewhere.
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AltarMan
Guest
mea maximo culpa.
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