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His Excellency Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki; Ars celebrandi et adorandi
On the Art of Celebrating the Eucharistic Liturgy The art of celebrating the liturgy properly and adoring the Lord in the Eucharist devoutly (ars celebrandi et adorandi) is the key to fostering the active participation of the People of God in divine worship. (Part 1 of series) The Reservation and Adoration of the Holy Eucharist
18. While the
Holy Eucharist is reserved in the tabernacle of every parish church in
our diocese, the faithful in some places do not frequently come to pray
before the tabernacle to be in the presence of the Lord. Several reasons
for this certainly exist, but one among them is the reality that the
tabernacle is not always easily found in many of our churches today.
Over the past few decades, tabernacles all too often were moved from
prominent places in the sanctuary to obscure and remote rooms that in
some cases were previously supply closets.
19. The present
legislation of the Church concerning the placement of the tabernacle
states, “In accordance with the structure of each church and legitimate
local customs, the Most Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a
tabernacle in a part of the church that is truly noble, prominent,
conspicuous, worthily decorated, and suitable for prayer.”13
Regrettably, this is not always followed.
20. In some
churches and chapels, the tabernacle is set on a “side” altar in such a
way that the tabernacle, though noble, is neither prominent nor readily
visible. The same is often the case with the location of some
Eucharistic chapels, whether they be in the nave itself, behind the
sanctuary, or in another room. They are not always prominent or readily visible.
21. The great majority of our parish churches and chapels were designed
to house the tabernacle in the center of the sanctuary; removing the
tabernacle from these sanctuaries has left a visible emptiness within
the sacred space, almost as though the building itself longed for the
return of the tabernacle. With the removal of the tabernacle from the
center of the sanctuary, the architectural integrity of many churches
and chapels has been severely compromised.14
22. Pope
Benedict XVI wrote in his Post-Synodal Exhortation on the Eucharist in
2007, “The correct positioning of the tabernacle contributes to the
recognition of Christ’s real presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
Therefore, the place where the Eucharistic species are reserved, marked
by a sanctuary lamp, should be readily visible to everyone entering the
church. … In any event, final judgment on these matters belongs to the
Diocesan Bishop.”15
23. With this in
mind, in order that more of the faithful will be able to spend time in
adoration and prayer in the presence of the Eucharistic Lord, I direct
that in the churches and chapels of our diocese, tabernacles that were
formerly in the center of the sanctuary, but have been moved, are to be
returned as soon as possible to the center of the sanctuary in accord
with the original architectural design. Tabernacles that are not in the
center of the sanctuary or are otherwise not in a visible, prominent and
noble space are to be moved to the center of the sanctuary; tabernacles
that are not in the center of the sanctuary but are in a visible,
prominent and noble space may remain.
24. Some may
object to this directive and point, by means of example, to the Basilica
of Saint Peter in Rome to suggest that tabernacles should not be
located in the sanctuary. Saint Peter’s, of course, is different from
the average church or chapel in many respects. Chief among these
differences is the number of tourists who visit the Basilica each day,
with no intention of praying to the Lord therein. These tourists enter
this remarkable edifice built to the honor of the Prince of the Apostles
simply to look around, to see the architectural beauty and perhaps to
see some aspect of Catholic worship, but not to pray. The Eucharist is
reserved in a special chapel into which tour groups are not permitted so
that the reverence and adoration due the Eucharist can be properly
accorded him by pilgrims seeking to speak with him.
25. At the same
time, it should be noted that the Eucharistic chapel in Saint Peter’s is
itself larger than many of our parish churches. There is more than
enough room to accommodate all those who wish to pray in the presence of
the Eucharistic Lord in the chapel; it is not always so with every
Eucharistic chapel in this Diocese.
26. This
deep-seated desire to be in the presence of the Lord resounds in the
heart of every person, even if they cannot at first name this desire for
what it truly is. We should therefore do all that we can to help them encounter the Lord who
waits for them to seek and find him. In this regard, I strongly
encourage keeping our churches open to the public in so far as can be
done with the safety of people and the building in mind. Pope Francis
spoke about this in his Apostolic Exhortation on the Joy of the Gospel,
Evangelii Gaudium: “The Church is called to be the house of the Father,
with doors always wide open. One concrete sign of such openness is that
our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the
Spirit, comes there looking for God, he or she will not find a closed
door” (no. 47).
27. Regularly scheduled times for exposition of the Most Holy Eucharist in a monstrance or pyx, as well as an annual solemn and lengthier exposition
of the Most Blessed Sacrament, are highly commended as ways to
stimulate the faithful to spiritual union with Christ which culminates
in sacramental communion. The norms in the liturgical books for
Eucharistic exposition and benediction are to be observed.16
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