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EasterJoy
Guest
We only have it for major feast days and for funerals, but wow, when we have it, everything and everybody gets incensed, and incensed well. The clergy in our parish aren’t half-hearted about it!
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Luna_Lovecraft
Guest
While I love incense, one of my stepdaughters has asthma and the other has migraines. Neither child can abide its use. Hence, we can only attend incense-free Masses.
Luna
Luna
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Irish_Eyes_826
Guest
I’d prefer not. I have asthma as well and could barely stand incense when I was younger. While altar serving, forget it. Now it’s gotten a little better, but I still had to leave for a few minutes on Holy Thursday and Good Friday while it dissipated.
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Balian
Guest
I wouldn’t have really thought of having an opinion on this until this past weekend. At my parish I can only recall incense being used on one occasion during the past several months. This weekend I happened to visit a local monastery and attended Mass there and they used a lot of incense! As a result I do in fact wish we used it more often.
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CB_Catholic
Guest
Although I like incense, I don’t want it to be used more often because I have noticed too many people coughing, etc. when it is used, some having to leave Mass. And we don’t use cheap incense. But there are a lot of people with pulmonary problems and allergies it seems any more, and I think it should be used rather sparingly. And lately, it has been making me cough and get a headache at times, and that’s just not at my parish, but multiple parishes.
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ZoeyBdo
Guest
I have been wondering WHY it’s not being used! It’s not used at all for some reason!
I love it… bring it back!!
I love it… bring it back!!
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Hmgbrd
Guest
Yes please! Even when I come into the church after mass and can still smell the perfume of incense I know that I have come home! No other church smells like this anywhere in the world. Even with eyes closed there is no mistaking which church I have entered…MY church. The incense helps bring me to a higher level of spirituality and purification. :harp:
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TimothyH
Guest
The mods have asked that OF and EF be terms used to describe Masses and not be used to describe parishes, priests, lay persons or anthing else.I am sorry that the EF Mass near you is a Low Mass.
Why not? It is just a convention of speech. An “OF parish” is simply a parish that celebrates the OF exclusively.
-Tim-
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Jegudiel
Guest
Rather than limit the use of incense why don’t you take some steps on your own to limit your discomfort? Maybe ask your pastor to use hypoallergenic incense? Maybe sit towards the back of the church? Maybe take a Benedryl tablet before Masses that you know will have incense?
I always hate to hear the only solution being the reduction in use of incense.
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Jegudiel
Guest
Did you consider something as simple as taking a generic Benedryl tablet (Diphenhydramine) prior to Mass?
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Oneofthewomen
Guest
Comments like this smack of arrogance to me! 
If you have never had trouble breathing due to asthma or some other disorder, to be quite honest, you don’t know what you are talking about. There was a time when I thought I would have to miss the funeral Mass of a dear friend because of the incense used by the parish. Even my prescription strength medications could not prevent the asthma attack I had at her husband’s funeral Mass, and I nearly had to go to the hospitial to get it under control. So sorry, a little OTC Benedryl is not going to help me!
I find that incense, good incense, does not bother me as much now as it once did, however not every parish uses “good incense” as it can be quite expensive
When I worked for a liturgy director, I ordered church supplies.
The incense that we used was nice & light and just about everyone could tolerate it. It was quite expensive (about $35 for a 16oz can)and just with funerals, we went through about a can about every 6 weeks to 2 months.
If we used it at every Sunday Mass (we had 3 of them) our use would have tripled, which would amount to about $420 a year, just for the incense. That does not include the charcoal or the maintenance of the censer (chains on these break all the time) and the time it take to clean & maintain the censer & stand (again, things that must be done regularly if incense is used regularly). So, in the grand scheme of things, most pastors around these parts only use it for funerals and/or special occaisions.
And to you Jegudiel,
If you want incense so bad, talk to your pastor, and volunteer to pay for it, and to keep everything in good order! And please, have a little charity for others!
If you have never had trouble breathing due to asthma or some other disorder, to be quite honest, you don’t know what you are talking about. There was a time when I thought I would have to miss the funeral Mass of a dear friend because of the incense used by the parish. Even my prescription strength medications could not prevent the asthma attack I had at her husband’s funeral Mass, and I nearly had to go to the hospitial to get it under control. So sorry, a little OTC Benedryl is not going to help me!
I find that incense, good incense, does not bother me as much now as it once did, however not every parish uses “good incense” as it can be quite expensive
When I worked for a liturgy director, I ordered church supplies.
The incense that we used was nice & light and just about everyone could tolerate it. It was quite expensive (about $35 for a 16oz can)and just with funerals, we went through about a can about every 6 weeks to 2 months.
If we used it at every Sunday Mass (we had 3 of them) our use would have tripled, which would amount to about $420 a year, just for the incense. That does not include the charcoal or the maintenance of the censer (chains on these break all the time) and the time it take to clean & maintain the censer & stand (again, things that must be done regularly if incense is used regularly). So, in the grand scheme of things, most pastors around these parts only use it for funerals and/or special occaisions.
And to you Jegudiel,
If you want incense so bad, talk to your pastor, and volunteer to pay for it, and to keep everything in good order! And please, have a little charity for others!
T
TimothyH
Guest
To Oneofthewoman’s points, good incense does have to be used and there is an art to creating the scent but not the smoke. And the idea is really to create scent, not smoke.
Sometimes the coals absorb moisture or the incense is cheap or stale. Sometimes the priest or deacon just shovels too much on. We have one priest who is very good at it. It looks like there is no smoke but about 30 seconds after he incenses the altar you will get a waft of scent throughout the Church, without all the drama of billowing clouds of smoke and people coughing.
We had one deacon set off the smoke detector in the vestry. There is no need for that much smoke.
If not using incense is an offense to Catholics then then telling the elderly and infirm that they should go sit in the back or that they should shut their mouths and tough it out is hardly a Christian solution.
-Tim-
Sometimes the coals absorb moisture or the incense is cheap or stale. Sometimes the priest or deacon just shovels too much on. We have one priest who is very good at it. It looks like there is no smoke but about 30 seconds after he incenses the altar you will get a waft of scent throughout the Church, without all the drama of billowing clouds of smoke and people coughing.
We had one deacon set off the smoke detector in the vestry. There is no need for that much smoke.
If not using incense is an offense to Catholics then then telling the elderly and infirm that they should go sit in the back or that they should shut their mouths and tough it out is hardly a Christian solution.
-Tim-
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anp1215
Guest
Also, I don’t know about others, but Benadryl knocks me out. Sometimes I take it at night to help me sleep. I can’t take it during the day.
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YoungTradCath
Guest
The reason is that cheap incense has much more impurities (wood) in it. Good quality incense has a high purity level and is made up of a much higher percentage of the fragrant resins.
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Cristiano
Guest
I voted no, if my parish were to use the incense more often than we do now we would be a smokehouse and not a Catholic parish. 
I think that you have enough incense going if you cannot see the face of the thurifer.
I think that you have enough incense going if you cannot see the face of the thurifer.
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Oneofthewomen
Guest
Yes, I know this, hence, the more expensive price tag!!
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englishredrose
Guest
We use incense regulary at our parish.
I am a server and have mild asthma and on some days yes it does make my chest more sore than others. It was getting more aggrevated and by otherness I am now singing in the choir and get to alternate the duties which relieves my chest. I didn’t admitt to the sore chest because I liked serving too.
Recently before easter I very nearly had pnemonia. luckily for me i had already said that am singing over the Easter period which was very lucky for me because if I had been serving on the passion sunday there was 99% chance I would have been phelgmy sick on the altar through the incense. I wouldn’t have been able to get into the vestry in time.
Incense does affect many of us with asthma and I do know one sincere person who does not go to the services that uses incense because of his asthma.
and if anyone tries to say it don’t affect us then they need to be us for a time. I have mild asthma but yet on sunday afternoon evenings i was getting sore chested as i said once been serving a while. Like i said too i didn’t want to give up serving.
now its better because i alternate the weeks. i am often coughing before we leave the vestry even…
incense is no joke to those with asthma and poor lungs if their trigger is smokey stuff or poor air quality as of mine.
we get used to it but that is all:blush:
I am a server and have mild asthma and on some days yes it does make my chest more sore than others. It was getting more aggrevated and by otherness I am now singing in the choir and get to alternate the duties which relieves my chest. I didn’t admitt to the sore chest because I liked serving too.
Recently before easter I very nearly had pnemonia. luckily for me i had already said that am singing over the Easter period which was very lucky for me because if I had been serving on the passion sunday there was 99% chance I would have been phelgmy sick on the altar through the incense. I wouldn’t have been able to get into the vestry in time.
Incense does affect many of us with asthma and I do know one sincere person who does not go to the services that uses incense because of his asthma.
and if anyone tries to say it don’t affect us then they need to be us for a time. I have mild asthma but yet on sunday afternoon evenings i was getting sore chested as i said once been serving a while. Like i said too i didn’t want to give up serving.
now its better because i alternate the weeks. i am often coughing before we leave the vestry even…
incense is no joke to those with asthma and poor lungs if their trigger is smokey stuff or poor air quality as of mine.
we get used to it but that is all:blush:
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garn9173
Guest
Holy Thursday was the first time that I have seen incense used in my Parish since I returned to the Church.
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Kevin812
Guest
I didn’t respond to the poll. As popular as this might be I say it is time to do away with it. I know several parishes that uses only empty censors for mass. I am also surprised that the various environmental agencies have not had fits over the particulate pollution concerns.
I say it is time to do away with it. I know several parishes that uses only empty censors for mass. I am also surprised that the various environmental agencies have not had fits over the particulate pollution concerns.
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asia53
Guest
That’s what we do. 11 AM Mass is always the incense mass. It’s stated in the bulletin, so people with allergies, etc can plan accordingly.
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