What are the Required Sacramentals in a Catholic Church

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elts1956

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This past Sunday, I attended Mass at my former parish. The parish had recently renovated the original Church building by adding a whole new church to the old one.

In this new addition I saw no Crucifix above the altar,or on it, but a mural of Christ teaching a crowd was painted on the wall behind the altar. There were no stations of the cross, but instead murals depicting various episodes in the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, such as the Annunciation.

I was stunned. This Church had the funds to decorate extensively with stained glass, murals, wood carved in beautiful forms, but when I asked the priest where the Crucifix was at the front of Church, his answer was that they planned to get one, but “Those things cost money.”

What I want to know is, what is required as far as being in keeping with Catholic tradition placing traditional forms/sacramentals in the building of the Church

Anyone know?
 
elts1956 said:
This past Sunday, I attended Mass at my former parish. The parish had recently renovated the original Church building by adding a whole new church to the old one.

In this new addition I saw no Crucifix above the altar,or on it, but a mural of Christ teaching a crowd was painted on the wall behind the altar. There were no stations of the cross, but instead murals depicting various episodes in the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, such as the Annunciation.

I was stunned. This Church had the funds to decorate extensively with stained glass, murals, wood carved in beautiful forms, but when I asked the priest where the Crucifix was at the front of Church, his answer was that they planned to get one, but “Those things cost money.”

What I want to know is, what is required as far as being in keeping with Catholic tradition placing traditional forms/sacramentals in the building of the Church

Anyone know?
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There are several Church documents that cover things like statues, pictures, etc. I would start with the Vatican II document then the Bishops Conference Art and Worship documents.

However nothing specifically is “required” to be in the church building. The only thing that comes to my mind is the requirement of two candles and a Crucifix (with a crucified Christ) during the celebration of Mass. Outside of Mass only a Sanctuary lamp (candle or oil lamp) if the Blessed Sacrament is present in the tabernacle.
 
Until recently (I don’t know when, but I do know that it was later than the 1930s) a parish had to have permission from Rome to have the Stations of the Cross in the church. I’ve seen many parishes with the “decree” (I don’t know what would be the proper word here) displayed in the sacristy.

…his answer was that they planned to get one, but “Those things cost money.”

Yes, of course they do cost money. And often when a parish does major renovations (and a new building would certainly come under that category) parishes have to make decisions as to what is essential and what might come later.

Perhaps this pastor wants to ensure that the future crucifix will be a proper, dignified one rather than “whatever is the cheapest.” The same might apply to the Stations, and other things you haven’t asked about.

You’ve already described stained glass windows, murals, and beautiful carvings, and based on your brief descriptions (and the absence of any complaints in your post), my instincts are telling me that an effort is indeed being made to have a beautiful and dignified Church (as opposed to many new buildings which have all the appeal and sterility of a dental operating room).

The magnificent churches which we see (unfortunately, those few which are left) weren’t built overnight. These things do take time.

I hope that your pastor is taking the time to make sure that things are done right.

Pick up a catalog of religious goods and look at the prices for Stations of the Cross and a large crucifix. Most parishioners have no concept of how much these things cost. A parish might buy cheap Stations for as little as five dollars a set. I’ve also seen them for more than $12,000 for each Station (yep, twelve thousand each, that wasn’t a typo).
 
stbruno said:
usccb.org/liturgy/livingstonesind.shtml

Here’s the document from the US Catholic Council of Bishops regarding art and architecture in the church. Check it out. Share it with your parish council and pastor too.
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FrDavid96 said:
Until recently (I don’t know when, but I do know that it was later than the 1930s) a parish had to have permission from Rome to have the Stations of the Cross in the church. I’ve seen many parishes with the “decree” (I don’t know what would be the proper word here) displayed in the sacristy.

…his answer was that they planned to get one, but “Those things cost money.”

Yes, of course they do cost money. And often when a parish does major renovations (and a new building would certainly come under that category) parishes have to make decisions as to what is essential and what might come later.

Perhaps this pastor wants to ensure that the future crucifix will be a proper, dignified one rather than “whatever is the cheapest.” The same might apply to the Stations, and other things you haven’t asked about.

You’ve already described stained glass windows, murals, and beautiful carvings, and based on your brief descriptions (and the absence of any complaints in your post), my instincts are telling me that an effort is indeed being made to have a beautiful and dignified Church (as opposed to many new buildings which have all the appeal and sterility of a dental operating room).

The magnificent churches which we see (unfortunately, those few which are left) weren’t built overnight. These things do take time.

I hope that your pastor is taking the time to make sure that things are done right.

Pick up a catalog of religious goods and look at the prices for Stations of the Cross and a large crucifix. Most parishioners have no concept of how much these things cost. A parish might buy cheap Stations for as little as five dollars a set. I’ve also seen them for more than $12,000 for each Station (yep, twelve thousand each, that wasn’t a typo).
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I no longer belong to the parish I describe, but it did disturb me not to find The “ritual” artifacts? that one takes for granted would be in a Catholic Church. I am being judgemental about something which is probably not any of my business, but in this day and age, there are so many abuses in the church, I am hoping this instance is not another one.

The USCCB has this to say.

usccb.org/liturgy/livingstones.shtml#chapteronee

The Cross
§ 91 § The cross with the image of Christ crucified is a reminder of Christ’s paschal mystery. It draws us into the mystery of suffering and makes tangible our belief that our suffering when united with the passion and death of Christ leads to redemption.113 There should be a crucifix "positioned either on the altar or near it, and . . . clearly visible to the people gathered there."114 Since a crucifix placed on the altar and large enough to be seen by the congregation might well obstruct the view of the action taking place on the altar, other alternatives may be more appropriate. The crucifix may be suspended over the altar or affixed to the sanctuary wall. A processional cross of sufficient size, placed in a stand visible to the people following the entrance procession is another option. If the processional cross is to be used for this purpose, the size and weight of the cross should not preclude its being carried in procession. If there is already a cross in the sanctuary, the processional cross is placed out of view of the congregation following the procession.115

31 § 2. The church building fosters participation in the liturgy. Because liturgical actions by their nature are communal celebrations, they are celebrated with the presence and active participation of the Christian faithful whenever possible.38 Such participation, both internal and external, is the faithful’s "right and duty by reason of their baptism."39 The building itself can promote or hinder the “full, conscious, and active participation” of the faithful. Parishes making decisions about the design of a church must consider how the various aspects and choices they make will affect the ability of all the members to participate fully in liturgical celebrations.

The Sacrifice of the Mass is the very essential focal point of our Faith. Not to have images reminding us of this in the Church, I feel is remiss.
 
elts1956 said:
The Sacrifice of the Mass is the very essential focal point of our Faith. Not to have images reminding us of this in the Church, I feel is remiss.
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If the parish is using a processional cross which is placed in the Sanctuary at the start of Mass, then the requirement is being met.

I agree with you that not to have Sacred Art and other necesssary furnishings in the church causes a feeling of emptiness. But please keep in mind what the pastor said, and what I’ve posted. In most cases, it’s just not possibly from a financial point of view to have everything in a new church as soon as it’s dedicated. Church goods are extremely expensive, and “cheap stuff” looks like “cheap stuff.”

Was there anything in the pastor’s response that led you to believe that he wasn’t being sincere when he said that those things would be added in due time? Nothing in your post led me to think that. Is that the case, but you just haven’t said as much? That would change things.

I can think of a lot of things I’d like to have in my parish churches (and believe me, so can the parishioners). Problem is that the bank we deal with has this odd policy of not honoring checks unless we have the money in the account to cover those checks. Maybe we need to find a new bank.

There are some absolutely necessary church furnishings, and then there are those which enhance the liturgical life of the parish, but which can (and might have to) wait until the funds are available to do it right.
 
FrDavid96 said:
If the parish is using a processional cross which is placed in the Sanctuary at the start of Mass, then the requirement is being met.

I agree with you that not to have Sacred Art and other necesssary furnishings in the church causes a feeling of emptiness. But please keep in mind what the pastor said, and what I’ve posted. In most cases, it’s just not possibly from a financial point of view to have everything in a new church as soon as it’s dedicated. Church goods are extremely expensive, and “cheap stuff” looks like “cheap stuff.”

Was there anything in the pastor’s response that led you to believe that he wasn’t being sincere when he said that those things would be added in due time? Nothing in your post led me to think that. Is that the case, but you just haven’t said as much? That would change things.

I can think of a lot of things I’d like to have in my parish churches (and believe me, so can the parishioners). Problem is that the bank we deal with has this odd policy of not honoring checks unless we have the money in the account to cover those checks. Maybe we need to find a new bank.

There are some absolutely necessary church furnishings, and then there are those which enhance the liturgical life of the parish, but which can (and might have to) wait until the funds are available to do it right.
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I don’t know the pastor at all. As I said, I once belonged to the parish, but that was years ago. I can understand the lack of funds, “Wow, can I?”, but I guess my personal opinion would be to get the liturgical necessities in place before some of the other improvements were done. I just like my good old fashioned Catholic Church with the Stations of the Cross, the Crucifix,(which, by the way, I didn’t see in this Church. May not have been 'really" looking, but thought I was.) and the other acroutements I feel are so necessary for me to feel comfortable at Mass.

I just wonder if anyone else feels the way I do???
 
OK, just goes to show one should not jump to conclusions. I still don’t know all the ins and outs about the parish I have been talking about, but I again attended Mass there today, although I said I wasn’t going to. God works in wondrous and mysterious ways.

When I walked in, the Holy Water fonts were covered in purple, the scenes from Jesus life which I mentioned before, were gone. Above the altar was an image of Christ crucified in place of one showing him teaching.

Then I read in their bullitin they would have Stations of the Cross said in the “Chapel” each Friday during Lent. Not being a member of this Parish,I have no idea where the Chapel is located. It could be in the older part of the Church.

So Hurray, it looks as though this Parish is on the right path. 👍 Is my face red.:o
 
There is a parish in my neighborhood similar to what you describe.

I call it the Methodist-Rite Catholic Church. You seriously wouldn’t know it’s a Catholic Church except that the music is bad.
 
Just a little story…

When my parish Church was dedicated we had a larger than life size, but plain, wooden cross. It stood empty for two years. Visitors and even many parishioners would make disparaging comments about how protestant this was.

What many people didn’t realize was that the parish had received a donation to commission an artist to sculpt an original corpus and it took two years for the artist to complete her work.

At this point (slightly more than 10 years later) we have very few statues. But what we do have are all original works. I think that the (fortunately few) standard off-the-shelf items in our Church look really tacky. Better that spot be left empty (assuming it’s not something absolutely required.)
 
SMHW said:
Just a little story…

When my parish Church was dedicated we had a larger than life size, but plain, wooden cross. It stood empty for two years. Visitors and even many parishioners would make disparaging comments about how protestant this was.

What many people didn’t realize was that the parish had received a donation to commission an artist to sculpt an original corpus and it took two years for the artist to complete her work.

At this point (slightly more than 10 years later) we have very few statues. But what we do have are all original works. I think that the (fortunately few) standard off-the-shelf items in our Church look really tacky. Better that spot be left empty (assuming it’s not something absolutely required.)
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Was there a cross-with-corpus present during mass at all over these two years when the artist was sculpting the corpus?
 
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