Since arriving I occasionally have been asked by parishioners from both former parishes if the Blessed Sacrament could be moved to the tabernacle in the high altar. I promised to give the idea careful study and prayer beginning with where we are now.
A few months ago in the Bulletin I asked if anyone recalled when the Blessed Sacrament was moved permanently to St. Joseph’s altar at the side, and why? Here are some recollections people had.
One said it was moved during the 1990 renovations, another thought it was when Fr. Schindler arrived in the early 1980s, and still another said it was way back in the 1970s with Fr. Mueller. Many remembered it being moved because Vatican II called for it, others said because the priest wanted it moved, and still another felt it was so the priest’s chair could be up higher. Although the exact time is unknown, all these reasons have some truth to them.
As promised, I present to you my research on the tabernacle’s placement and a prayerful decision.
But, why is the Eucharist reserved at all in a tabernacle outside of Mass? For many centuries, there have been only two purposes. The first is to bring the Body of Christ to the Dying (Viaticum). Catholics believe that Christ is present “Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity” under the forms of bread and wine. Receiving the Eucharist at the time of one’s journey from this life is one of the Last Rites of the Church. It is food for the journey into everlasting life. Today we bring the Eucharist not only to the dying, but to all our parishioners who are ill, in hospital, or homebound, upon request.
And the second purpose for reserving the Eucharist is for private prayer and adoration by the faithful. Since our Lord is really present in the Sacrament, its reservation in a tabernacle offers Catholics the unique privilege to commune with Him again in private prayer and adoration.
Where has the tabernacle usually been placed in churches? Until the 13th Century there was no uniform instruction as to where a tabernacle with the Eucharist should be located. Often the Eucharist was taken to the sick directly from Mass, as Eucharistic Ministers sometimes do today.
The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) decreed only that the Consecrated Hosts be kept in a secure receptacle and placed in a clean, conspicuous place. Later, the Synods of Munster (1279) and Cologne (1281) stipulated that the Eucharist be kept above the altar, sometimes in tabernacles shaped like doves and suspended by chains. (An example of this type is on exhibit in the National Gallery of Art.)
Since the 13th Century, the Eucharist was reserved in four various ways: 1) in a locked cabinet where the priest vested – a custom that originated in the early centuries of the Church; or 2) in a cabinet called “the Sacrament House” that often looked like a tower near the altar; or 3) as I have mentioned, in a receptacle that resembled a dove and hung by a chain; or 4) in a tabernacle secured to the altar or to the reredos (dividers) directly behind the altar.
How then did the tabernacle come to be placed in the center of the church? In the 16th Century, many Catholics were confused by Protestant teachings that the Eucharist is merely a sign and symbol. The Church responded by moving the Blessed Sacrament from wherever it was located in a church to a tabernacle on the main altar itself, located in the center of the church, or in the reredos behind it. In a sense, the Church was making a statement to a largely uneducated faithful that the Eucharist is not only the Real Presence of Christ, but that Christ in the Eucharist is the center and focus of the Church. This location of the tabernacle became the norm in almost every church in the world for centuries. (A few churches still hung tabernacles resembling doves, until prohibited in 1863.)
Why then was the tabernacle moved after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65)? Two reasons stand out: 1) Christ is the center and focus of the Church’s gathering around the Altar of Christ’s Sacrifice. Christ is present in the Eucharist, yes – but also in the Word, Priest, and People. The action of the Holy Spirit at Mass is also central to our worship of God our Father. The bishops sought to place greater emphasis on the creation of the Eucharist at Mass over the reservation of the Eucharist outside of Mass. To emphasize this, the tabernacle could be located in another part of the church and still fulfill its twofold purpose – Viaticum and adoration.
And 2) the bishops directed that a conducive location for private prayer and adoration by the faithful be found or constructed. If the church was a place with many weddings, funerals, tours, etc. the recommendation was strong to reserve the Blessed Sacrament in a chapel or separate room altogether. If you go to the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, or to St. Peter’s in the Vatican where tour groups are daily events, you will not find the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the center of the sanctuary or church, but in a chapel or a secluded side altar area.
St. Bernard’s was known for its weddings, concerts, and civic events. All these activities could have led to placing the Blessed Sacrament in a separate chapel. However, its current location is not wrong; it fulfills the purposes for reserving the Eucharist. Whichever pastor made the change did so with great care; with spot lights, a sanctuary lamp, and flowers. He followed the dictates of Vatican II as well as the example of our own St. John Cathedral in Cleveland, where the Eucharist is reserved in a tower-like tabernacle to the right of the sanctuary.
So, can the Eucharist be reserved again in the high altar as some have asked? It can. But why? Here are three reasons that I think it could, and why I will permit it:
1) Because documents, directives, and canons since Vatican II, and based on it, would also support the reservation of the Eucharist in the high altar:
”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.” (Canon 938, §2)
Added to that, in 2007 Pope Benedict XVI wrote,
“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. It is therefore necessary to take into account the building’s architecture: in churches which do not have a Blessed Sacrament chapel, and where the high altar with its tabernacle is still in place, it is appropriate to continue to use this structure for the reservation and adoration of the Eucharist, taking care not to place the celebrant’s chair in front of it.”… In any event, final judgment on these matters belongs to the Diocesan Bishop.” (Sacramentum Caritatis Part II, §69)
2) Because people, especially visitors, seem to genuflect spontaneously to that middle tabernacle. The high altar with the statues of Sts. Bernard, Nicholas (left) and Boniface (right) is so “con- spicuous” and “distinguished” that people don’t even look for a lit sanctuary lamp. One’s mind just fills in a lamp that isn’t even there. Sometimes I will tell a priest that he just reverently genuflected to an empty box, and then point out the tabernacle with a smile! It seems reasonable to reserve the Eucharist in the place where people seem to respond automatically.
And 3) Because the architecture reflects our theology. Christ is not only the center of the Church, as emphasized in the 16th Century, but Christ is the Mediator between Heaven and Earth, between God and all Humanity. A mediator settles differences between two conflicted parties. The mediator understands both parties and is willing to make up the difference to bring reconciliation and peace. Jesus is identified in the Scriptures as our Mediator, Reconciler with God, and way of Peace. St. Paul writes, “And the truth is this: ‘God is one. One also is the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all’ (1Tim.2:5, 6).” Christ reconciled us to the Father and opened the way to our salvation. Loving God and loving others as Christ Jesus does sanctify and unite us as His people. It is then “through Him, and with Him, and in Him” that all worship, glory and honor is lifted to the Father in unity with the Holy Spirit, whether for people gathered at Mass or for an individual in private prayer and adoration.
But here’s the point: In 1905 our church was consecrated by the Bishop; the entire building (see the twelve crosses on the walls). For that to happen, no mortgage could exist on the church for a bank to reclaim possession. So, the $160,000 debt was paid.
Also, the altar had to be immovable; set on a firm foundation. All the altars in this church are immovable. (Try to move one!) But only one is set on a foundation that goes down to the Earth and reaches up to the Heavens – the High Altar – with dirt below and an angel above it. If you go downstairs to the Social Hall Stage you will see a free-standing block of white concrete. It is the foundation for that altar. You can walk around it.
Few churches today have a high altar like ours that touches the Earth and reaches to the Heavens with the Real Presence of Christ, the Mediator, right in the middle. Reserving the Eucharist in that tabernacle – apart from all others – shows in a visual way our understanding of Jesus Christ who mediates our reconciliation and peace with God – together at Mass or in private prayer. More than piety, the designers of this church were making a theological statement found in the Scriptures, echoed by the Church Fathers, restated at Ecumenical Councils down to Vatican II: Christ, the Bread of Life, is the Reconciler between God and us, the Mediator of Heaven and Earth.
In that conspicuous altar that draws our attention naturally, we can still bring the Eucharist to the dying, pray privately, and above all – in light of Vatican II – keep our reason for gathering at Mass on creating the Eucharist at the Altar of Sacrifice.
If someday someone asks why the Blessed Sacrament is reserved where it is, I hope this leaflet can help to explain, for the most part – why. Fr. Dan
