| ROME, 25 MAY 2004 (ZENIT) Answered by Father Edward McNamara,
professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University.
Q: I have been searching for some type of directives regarding the
decorating of the sanctuary. In the parish here we have a decorating
committee that can do just about any type of decorating that it wants.
Isn't there a book that contains what is permissible and what isn't?
— A.R.,
Hinckley, Ohio
A: By decoration I suppose you mean the occasional decoration of the
sanctuary (flowers, etc.) and not the overall structure of the sanctuary
itself.
The U.S. bishops' conference has recently published an official document,
"Built of Living Stones," which gives concrete guidelines for many aspects
of church construction and design.
The document may be obtained from the conference itself or from Catholic
bookstores.
Apart from this, some general norms of the Church regarding decorating the
sanctuary are contained in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, in
Nos. 304 and following, which address some aspects directly regarding the
decoration of the altar but whose principles may be applied to the
sanctuary in general.
No. 304 states: "Out of reverence for the celebration of the memorial of
the Lord and for the banquet in which the Body and Blood of the Lord are
offered on an altar where this memorial is celebrated, there should be at
least one white cloth, its shape, size, and decoration in keeping with the
altar's design. When, in the dioceses of the United States of America,
other cloths are used in addition to the altar cloth, then those cloths
may be of other colors possessing Christian honorific or festive
significance according to longstanding local usage, provided that the
uppermost cloth covering the mensa (i.e., the altar cloth itself) is
always white in color."
No. 305 reminds us that: "Moderation should be observed in the decoration
of the altar."
This applies especially to floral decorations, which "should always be
done with moderation and placed around the altar rather than on its mensa,"
and which should be especially moderate during Advent and which are
forbidden during Lent except for the Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of
Lent), as well as solemnities and feasts.
No. 306 gives as a principle that "Only what is required for the
celebration of the Mass may be placed on the mensa of the altar: namely,
from the beginning of the celebration until the proclamation of the
Gospel, the Book of the Gospels; then from the Presentation of the Gifts
until the purification of the vessels, the chalice with the paten, a
ciborium if necessary, and, finally, the corporal, the purificator, the
pall, and the Missal." A microphone is also permitted when necessary.
This means that any other elements or symbols should not be placed on the
altar.
No. 308 requires the use of a "cross, with the figure of Christ crucified
upon it, either on the altar or near it, where it is clearly visible to
the assembled congregation. It is appropriate that such a cross, which
calls to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord, remain near
the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations."
No. 307 deals specifically with candles but also makes another valid
criterion with respect to general decorum: "The candles ... are to be
appropriately placed either on or around the altar in a way suited to the
design of the altar and the sanctuary so that the whole may be well
balanced and not interfere with the faithful's clear view of what takes
place at the altar or what is placed on it."
Further on, No. 318 speaks of the use of sacred images: "In the earthly
Liturgy, the Church participates, by a foretaste, in that heavenly Liturgy
which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which she
journeys as a pilgrim, and where Christ is sitting at the right hand of
God; and by venerating the memory of the Saints, she hopes one day to have
some part and fellowship with them.
"Thus, images of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Saints, in
accordance with the Church's most ancient tradition, should be displayed
for veneration by the faithful in sacred buildings and should be arranged
so as to usher the faithful toward the mysteries of faith celebrated
there. For this reason, care should be taken that their number not be
increased indiscriminately, and that they be arranged in proper order so
as not to distract the faithful's attention from the celebration itself.
There should usually be only one image of any given Saint. Generally
speaking, in the ornamentation and arrangement of a church as far as
images are concerned, provision should be made for the devotion of the
entire community as well as for the beauty and dignity of the images."
From these numbers of the GIRM it may be inferred that what the Church
desires with regard to the decoration of the sanctuary is an overall sense
of moderation and well-balanced dignity, limiting, as far as possible, the
use of merely decorative objects that have no direct liturgical function
and avoidance of creating obstacles to the clear view of the assembly or
impediments to its concentration on the celebration of the sacred mystery
itself.
Thus, while the decoration of the sanctuary should remain fairly stable,
there is ample space for traditional elements that reflect the liturgical
season (Advent wreath, poinsettias at Christmastide, etc.) and for the
occasional use of truly artistic banners on major feasts.
Although artistic banners may be used it is best to avoid the use of
message posters in the sanctuary as well as other occasional articles such
as children's drawings and the like which might draw attention away from
the centrality of the celebration.
These objects are not necessarily excluded from the precincts of the
church but should preferably be placed in some other suitable place
outside the sanctuary. ZE04042524 * * * Follow-up:
Decorating the Sanctuary [from 06-08-2004]
Many readers asked for clarifications regarding the May 25 column on
decorating the sanctuary. A member of the military asked if a crucifix may
be placed upon the altar during the celebration of Mass.
No. 308 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal clearly permits
this option, which is often necessary in situations where Mass is
celebrated outside of a permanent chapel.
Such a crucifix would usually be placed at the front of the altar in a
central position directly in front of the celebrant with the corpus facing
toward the altar. In such a case the crucifix should not be so large as to
obscure the faithful's view of the sacred action, nor so small as to be
practically invisible. There are many thin metal crosses that can
perfectly fulfill this task.
Related to what should be on the altar, a reader referred to a custom in
one parish: "During Sunday Mass, at the preparation of the gifts, a given
family comes up to cover the altar. First, they put down an altar cloth,
always the color of the day or feast. Then, they put down a corporal. Then
they set down several purificators which will be used at Communion time.
"After Communion, the same family comes forward again. They fold and
remove the corporal and any purificators which might still be there, fold
up the altar cloth, bow, and take all these items out of sight. The
closing prayer, announcements, and blessing, are all said with the
altar-table bare, as if stripped as on Good Friday and Holy Saturday."
Perhaps this is a rather radical interpretation of GIRM, No. 306: "Only
what is required for the celebration of the Mass may be placed on the
mensa of the altar." But this practice certainly does not correspond to
liturgical norms.
GIRM No. 117, treating of the articles to be prepared before Mass, states:
"The altar is to be covered with at least one white cloth. In addition, on
or next to the altar are to be placed candlesticks with lighted candles:
at least two in any celebration, or even four or six, especially for a
Sunday Mass or a holy day of obligation ..."
No. 118 continues: "On the credence table: the chalice, a corporal, a
purificator, and, if appropriate, the pall; the paten and, if needed,
ciboria; bread for the Communion of the priest who presides, the deacon,
the ministers, and the people; cruets containing the wine and the water,
unless all of these are presented by the faithful in procession at the
Offertory; the vessel of water to be blessed, if the asperges occurs; the
Communion-plate for the Communion of the faithful; and whatever is needed
for the washing of hands."
Thus it is clear that these things should be prepared beforehand and not
during Mass. Likewise the preparation of the altar, especially the
extending the corporal and preparing the sacred vessels, is preferably
undertaken by the deacon or, if lacking, by the acolytes.
The altar should be habitually covered even outside of Mass, although it
is customary in many places to protect the white altar cloth outside of
Mass by covering it with another cloth. This cloth should be removed some
time before the Eucharistic celebration begins.
If stripping the altar after Mass were a regular practice then the rubrics
requiring this action during the Easter triduum would have no significance
at all.
A reader from the Philippines asked if flowers were forbidden on the
altar.
It is true that GIRM No. 305 does not use the word "forbidden" when
referring to flowers being placed upon the altar, but certainly indicates
a clear preference. When read in tandem with the text of No. 306 quoted
above, on placing only what is essential upon the altar, I believe it
becomes more than a mere preference.
Even though there may be some rare exceptions to this general norm, I
suggest that we should always try to follow the clear sense of the rule
which best reflect what the Church desires for the liturgy.
On this topic readers may wish to consult an excellent recent article, "In
Praise of Flowers," published in the March/April edition of the
Environment & Art Letter. This recently revamped newsletter, produced by
the Archdiocese of Chicago's Liturgy Training Publications, should prove
to be a useful resource for parishes on all aspects of church decoration.
Several readers asked about the appropriateness of having national flags
in the sanctuary.
Surprisingly, there are no regulations of any kind governing the display
of flags in Roman Catholic churches. Neither the Code of Canon law, nor
the liturgical books of the Roman rite comment on this practice. As a
result, the question of whether and how to display a national or other
flag in a church is left up to the judgment of the diocesan bishop, who in
turn often delegates this to the discretion of the pastor.
It appears that the origin of the display of the American flag in many
U.S. parishes stems from the custom of offering prayers for those who
served during World War II. At that time, many bishops and pastors
provided a book of remembrance near the American flag, requesting prayers
for loved ones
—
especially those serving their country in the armed forces
— as
a way of keeping before the attention of the faithful the needs of
military families.
After the war the custom of having the flag present in the sanctuary,
often accompanied by the pontifical standard, continued even in periods
with no major international conflicts.
The practice, while not confined to the United States, is not widespread
in other countries and is usually confined to certain churches of
particular national importance.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, for example,
displays a large national flag near the image of the Patroness of America
and in another part of the church the flags of all the nations of North
and South America.
The U.S. bishops' Committee on the Liturgy has in the past encouraged
pastors not to place the flag within the sanctuary itself, in order to
reserve that space for the altar, the ambo, the presidential chair and the
tabernacle. Instead, the suggestion has been made that the American flag
be placed outside the sanctuary, or in the vestibule of the church
together with a book of prayer requests. It remains, however, for the
diocesan bishop to determine regulations in this matter.
Personally I would hold that national flags are best kept out of the
sanctuary and the practice should not be introduced where no custom
exists. If used, however, they should be discreet and of modest
dimensions.
Finally, a Canadian reader asked if GIRM No. 318 meant that only one title
of the Blessed Virgin may be placed in the church. The text says:
"Thus, images of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Saints, in
accordance with the Church's most ancient tradition, should be displayed
for veneration by the faithful in sacred buildings and should be arranged
so as to usher the faithful toward the mysteries of faith celebrated
there. For this reason, care should be taken that their number not be
increased indiscriminately, and that they be arranged in proper order so
as not to distract the faithful's attention from the celebration itself.
There should usually be only one image of any given Saint. Generally
speaking, in the ornamentation and arrangement of a church as far as
images are concerned, provision should be made for the devotion of the
entire community as well as for the beauty and dignity of the images."
This is basically a pastoral norm that strives to strike a balance between
the needs of the liturgy and the private devotion the faithful.
In order to serve the liturgy, the norm indicates that images should not
be so numerous as to distract the faithful during the celebration.
At the same time it asks that provision should be made for the devotion of
the entire community so that images should be set up to cater for those
devotions most deeply held by the local community, not excluding the use
of votive lamps before the images.
The reason the document says that there should not be more than one image
of any saint set up for veneration recalls certain excesses of former
times in which more than one altar was dedicated to the same saint.
However, I do not think that the prohibition of more than one image would
exclude images not explicitly set up for veneration as when, for example,
in addition to a statue of a church's patron saint there are several
murals or stained glass windows that illustrate episodes of the saint's
life.
Nor would it exclude adding another image of the Blessed Virgin if
pastorally advisable. For example, if, due to demographic change, a parish
dedicated to the Virgin of Loreto acquired a significant Hispanic
population there would be no reason to exclude the pastor setting up an
alcove to Our Lady of Guadalupe to respond to the devotional traditions of
the people. ZE04060822
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