St. Pascal Baylon Catholic Church

Last May, Julie and I enjoyed six days of bicycle riding in Iowa's beautiful Cedar River Valley, and enjoyed worshiping on Saturday night in Cedar Rapids with the energetic and welcoming community of St Pius X. As we were worshiping, I noticed their tabernacle was in a chapel to the right of the altar area, and the tabernacle was visible to the worship space through the glass wall of the chapel. This got me thinking about tabernacle placement in Catholic Churches, how it affects the community worship during Mass, allows for quiet prayer outside of Mass, and how our unique tabernacle placement at St Pascal's is conducive to community and private prayer.

Before writing this blog, I wanted to read some background on tabernacle placement in the history and Canon law of the Church. It would make sense to check what Vatican II had to say about this as Church Council documents are at the top of the heap regarding Church teaching and Vatican II ushered in many wonderful liturgical changes. We see a brief mention of tabernacles only once in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy;

“Along with the revision of the liturgical books, as laid down in Art. 25, there is to be an early revision of the canons and ecclesiastical statutes which govern the provision of material things involved in sacred worship. These laws refer especially to the worthy and well planned construction of sacred buildings, the shape and construction of altars, the nobility, placing, and safety of the eucharistic tabernacle, the dignity and suitability of the baptistery, the proper ordering of sacred images, embellishments, and vestments. Laws which seem less suited to the reformed liturgy are to be brought into harmony with it, or else abolished; and any which are helpful are to be retained if already in use, or introduced where they are lacking. According to the norm of Art. 22 of this Constitution, the territorial bodies of bishops are empowered to adapt such things to the needs and customs of their different regions; this applies especially to the materials and form of sacred furnishings and vestments.”

Basically moving this responsibility to the local Bishops. The post-Council document, Redemptionis Sacramentum, released by the Vatican in 2004 provided a little more clarification stating;

“According to the structure of each church building and in accordance with legitimate local customs, the Most Holy Sacrament is to be reserved in a tabernacle in a part of the church that is noble, prominent, readily visible, and adorned in a dignified manner” and furthermore “suitable for prayer” by reason of the quietness of the location, the space available in front of the tabernacle, and also the supply of benches or seats and kneelers.”

If we look at Canon Law, there is one Canon that mentions tabernacles.

Can. 938 §1. The Most Holy Eucharist is to be reserved habitually in only one tabernacle of a church or oratory.

§ 2. The tabernacle in which the Most Holy Eucharist is reserved is to be situated in some part of the church or oratory which is distinguished, conspicuous, beautifully decorated, and suitable for prayer.

§ 3. The tabernacle in which the Most Holy Eucharist is reserved habitually is to be immovable, made of solid and opaque material, and locked in such a way that the danger of profanation is avoided as much as possible.

Finally, the US Bishops Committee on the Liturgy released a 1978 advisory document entitled “Environment and Art in Catholic Worship” which states.

Most appropriately, this reservation should be designated in a space designed for individual devotion. A room or chapel specifically designed and separate from the major space is important so that no confusion can take place between the celebration of the eucharist and reservation.

The tabernacle, as a receptacle for the reservation of the eucharist, should be solid and unbreakable, dignified and properly ornamented. It may be placed in a wall niche, on a pillar, eucharistic tower. It should not be placed on an altar for the altar is a place for action not for reservation. There should be only one tabernacle in a church building. A lamp should burn continuously near it.

As is typical of the Church, there is considerable leeway in how local dioceses and parishes can choose for the placement of a tabernacle and still be within the norms of the Church. Historically, the more traditional placement of a tabernacle was for it to be elevated behind the altar. After Vatican II there was a movement to put the tabernacle to the side or in a separate chapel. This was to emphasize the communal celebration of the Lord’s supper that occurs during Mass and to provide a more private and intimate place to pray in close presence to Christ in the tabernacle than is possible in a large church building.

Our Archdiocese's cathedral has a very elaborate placement of the tabernacle behind the altar. From attending Mass in many different churches, I would say that this is still the most dominant placement of tabernacles. Some churches like Transfiguration in Oakdale, have returned to having an elaborate placement of the tabernacle behind the altar. While this is visually beautiful, I do not believe it provides the separation between a large church space and a location suitable for individual prayer in the presence of Christ in the tabernacle. When I have been to a church that has the tabernacle behind the altar it is hard to feel intimate in prayer, and many times people will be entering or exiting the church space. In many of these churches, the visual beauty of the tabernacle placement does also distract one during the communal prayer occurring during Mass.

Many churches build after Vatican II, such as St Pius X in Cedar Rapids and Saint Ambrose in Woodbury, have a separate chapel that is visible from the worship space via glass. This placement does provide the separation needed for more intimate prayer and keeps the focus on the altar during the celebration of Mass. One benefit I have noticed of this placement is when the hosts remaining after the distribution of communion pass through the church to the chapel. Santa Catalina Catholic Church in the Tucson area has such a chapel and every time I experience the hosts being carried in procession to be reserved in the tabernacle located in a side chapel I am very moved by the congregation all standing in quiet reverence for the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

I feel very blessed that the people involved in the design of our new worship space here at St Pascal’s came up with a very unique and beautiful placement of the tabernacle. The tabernacle is behind the altar like a more traditional placement, but there is a brick wall that separates the altar and the tabernacle. The bricks in this wall are arranged so that there are holes that provide a veiled view of the Tabernacle if you are seated straight out from the sanctuary during Mass. This wall allows for the focus of Mass to be on the communal celebration, and also provides for an intimate area for people to pray in the presence of Christ in the tabernacle. If you do not know, there are chairs and kneelers behind the brick wall that provide one a nice sense of privacy while praying. I know that I have availed myself of this small prayer space when I have needed to spend time being close to the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Please know you are free to come during the day and spend time close to the presence of Jesus in intimate prayer.

Peace, Love, and Blessings

Deacon Richard