Who can put away the Blessed Sacrament in an emergency?

[CeciliaS]

Recently a small chapel in our parish held eucharistic adoration until midnight. At that time, since the pastor was away, a sister who works and lives in the nearby rest home was to come to put away the Blessed Sacrament. She, however, fell asleep (we learned later) and no one could get a hold of her. There was a discussion among those of us who had remained until midnight: What should we do? Should one of us take the responsibility of putting the host back into the tabernacle, or should we leave It exposed, and each of us continue to be present, in turn, all night, until someone qualified showed up?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Since there was more than one of you there in the chapel that night, why not send one person to the rest home to fetch the nun? The others could remain with the exposed Blessed Sacrament until the nun arrived. That said, someone who has been properly deputed to do so may repose the Blessed Sacrament. If the nun continues to prove undependable, ask the pastor to depute another layperson for emergencies.