E
Errham
Guest
I know that the Jews bury them, and the Orthodox burn them (or, in the case of icons, sometimes bury them with people’s coffins) but I’ve never heard any instructions as to what a Catholic is supposed to do.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
D
Dorothy
Guest
This site explains a lot:I know that the Jews bury them, and the Orthodox burn them (or, in the case of icons, sometimes bury them with people’s coffins) but I’ve never heard any instructions as to what a Catholic is supposed to do.
catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3802
A
afs108
Guest
Anything that is blessed or intrinsically holy (such as relics) should be burned and the ashes buried in a place where they won’t be trodden over or disturbed.
If it cannot burn (for example, chalices or patens; or blessed oil or salt), it should be buried, again, somewhere where it won’t be trodden over or disturbed.
Holy Water should be drunk or poured directly into the ground, the container rinsed and the rinse water either similarly poured away or drunk.
One idea could be to just hand your items to you parish priest to dispose of properly - especially if the materials are liquid or soluble (such as holy water, blessed oil or blessed salt), as they can be poured down the sacrarium, a drain that connects directly to the earth.
The take away message is that holy or blessed objects (or their by-products - eg. ash or melted wax from blessed candles) should NEVER go to either the bin or the sink, but be disposed of straight to the earth.
On an interesting note, a rather common practice for disposing of unwanted vestments was to line the coffins of priests with them - when they weren’t carted off to the antiques shop!
If it cannot burn (for example, chalices or patens; or blessed oil or salt), it should be buried, again, somewhere where it won’t be trodden over or disturbed.
Holy Water should be drunk or poured directly into the ground, the container rinsed and the rinse water either similarly poured away or drunk.
One idea could be to just hand your items to you parish priest to dispose of properly - especially if the materials are liquid or soluble (such as holy water, blessed oil or blessed salt), as they can be poured down the sacrarium, a drain that connects directly to the earth.
The take away message is that holy or blessed objects (or their by-products - eg. ash or melted wax from blessed candles) should NEVER go to either the bin or the sink, but be disposed of straight to the earth.
On an interesting note, a rather common practice for disposing of unwanted vestments was to line the coffins of priests with them - when they weren’t carted off to the antiques shop!
B
Blue_Horizon
Guest
I think perhaps you have exercised a fair amount of. Poetic licence in whatever official source you may be accessing here.Anything that is blessed or intrinsically holy (such as relics) should be burned and the ashes buried in a place where they won’t be trodden over or disturbed.
If it cannot burn (for example, chalices or patens; or blessed oil or salt), it should be buried, again, somewhere where it won’t be trodden over or disturbed.
Holy Water should be drunk or poured directly into the ground, the container rinsed and the rinse water either similarly poured away or drunk.
One idea could be to just hand your items to you parish priest to dispose of properly - especially if the materials are liquid or soluble (such as holy water, blessed oil or blessed salt), as they can be poured down the sacrarium, a drain that connects directly to the earth.
The take away message is that holy or blessed objects (or their by-products - eg. ash or melted wax from blessed candles) should NEVER go to either the bin or the sink, but be disposed of straight to the earth.
On an interesting note, a rather common practice for disposing of unwanted vestments was to line the coffins of priests with them - when they weren’t carted off to the antiques shop!
Can you reference your source please.
C
Church_Militant
Guest
C
Chatter163
Guest
Every year on or near the feast of the Nativity of St. John Baptist, in our parish the Knights of Columbus have a bonfire, to which all men of the parish are invited, at which damaged sacramentals, tattered alter linens, cotton containing chrism, etc. are burned. This is an old Catholic custom. [edited]
D
Draper
Guest
That’s simply not true. My parish goes through pallets of quart-sized candles that are blessed and come in their own disposable plastic “vases.” They are burned until they can no longer burn but there is still a tiny bit of wax in them. The containers are recycled at the local sanitation facility.Anything that is blessed or intrinsically holy (such as relics) should be burned and the ashes buried in a place where they won’t be trodden over or disturbed.
If it cannot burn (for example, chalices or patens; or blessed oil or salt), it should be buried, again, somewhere where it won’t be trodden over or disturbed.
Holy Water should be drunk or poured directly into the ground, the container rinsed and the rinse water either similarly poured away or drunk.
One idea could be to just hand your items to you parish priest to dispose of properly - especially if the materials are liquid or soluble (such as holy water, blessed oil or blessed salt), as they can be poured down the sacrarium, a drain that connects directly to the earth.
The take away message is that holy or blessed objects (or their by-products - eg. ash or melted wax from blessed candles) should NEVER go to either the bin or the sink, but be disposed of straight to the earth.
On an interesting note, a rather common practice for disposing of unwanted vestments was to line the coffins of priests with them - when they weren’t carted off to the antiques shop!
P
paperwight66
Guest
Same in our parish. But the conversation seems to be about blessed candles. Our sanctuary lamps (the big candles in plastic vases) are not blessed. They get delivered in large boxes at a time, and we get through one lamp a week. I (as sacristan) would never be able to keep up with finding a priest to bless them. It’s bad enough finding one with the time to bless the Holy Water.That’s simply not true. My parish goes through pallets of quart-sized candles that are blessed and come in their own disposable plastic “vases.” They are burned until they can no longer burn but there is still a tiny bit of wax in them. The containers are recycled at the local sanitation facility.
D
Draper
Guest
[edited]Same in our parish. But the conversation seems to be about blessed candles. Our sanctuary lamps (the big candles in plastic vases) are not blessed. They get delivered in large boxes at a time, and we get through one lamp a week. I (as sacristan) would never be able to keep up with finding a priest to bless them. It’s bad enough finding one with the time to bless the Holy Water.
I’m sure my parish sells more than 20 votive candles/day – most of which have been blessed.
I’m sure a church like St. Pat’s in NYC sells 500 or more a day – again, many are blessed.
To suggest the near empty containers need to be burned or buried is ludicrous.
If you couldn’t find a priest or deacon to bless one candle/week (???) then you should have had a box full blessed at a time.
P
paperwight66
Guest
Well, on Candlemas Day, a symbolic pyramid of the various types of candles is put out and blessed, so perhaps that’s considered enough.[edited]
I’m sure my parish sells more than 20 votive candles/day – most of which have been blessed.
I’m sure a church like St. Pat’s in NYC sells 500 or more a day – again, many are blessed.
To suggest the near empty containers need to be burned or buried is ludicrous.
If you couldn’t find a priest or deacon to bless one candle/week (???) then you should have had a box full blessed at a time.
[edited] Have you any idea how priests are running hither and thither nowadays, going to the dying, performing baptism, dashing in to say Mass with two minutes to spare, a hundred other important things from morning to night, and you expect he’d be happy to be pulled out of whatever he’s doing to bless a candle?
As a matter of interest, where is it written that candles have to be blessed?
- Status
- Not open for further replies.