Article V. On the Manner of Reserving the Eucharist

I say. §1. The Most Holy Eucharist, provided there is someone who has care of it and a priest regularly celebrates Mass at least once a week in the sacred place:

1st. Must be kept in a cathedral church, in the principal church of an Abbey or Prelature nullius, of an Apostolic Vicariate and Prefecture, in any parochial or quasi-parochial church, and in a church annexed to the house of exempt religious, whether of men or of women;

2nd. Can be kept, with the permission of the Ordinary of the place, in a collegiate church and in the principal oratory, whether public or semi-public, both of a pious or religious house and of an ecclesiastical college which is governed by secular clerics or by religious.

§2. In order that it can be kept in other churches or oratories, an apostolic indult is necessary; the local Ordinary can grant this permission only to a church or public oratory, from a just cause and by way of act.

§3. It is lawful for no one to retain the Most Holy Eucharist with himself or to carry it with himself on a journey (Can. 1265).

§1. The Most Holy Eucharist must be preserved in an immovable tabernacle placed in the middle part of the altar.

§2. Let the tabernacle be skillfully constructed, solidly closed on every side, decently adorned according to the norm of liturgical laws, empty of every other thing, and so sedulously guarded that the danger of any sacrilegious profanation may be warded off.

§3. With some grave cause advising it, approved by the Ordinary of the place, it is not forbidden for the Most Holy Eucharist to be reserved at night-time outside the altar, yet upon a corporal, in a safer and decent place, with the prescription of can. 1271 being observed.

§4. The key of the tabernacle in which the Most Holy Sacrament is reserved must be guarded most diligently, with the conscience of the priest who has care of the church or oratory being gravely burdened (Can. 1269).¹

¹ Cf. Addenda, p. 1141, n. 104.

Question 1. Must the ciborium be silver and consecrated?

Resp. By common law indeed it is not established that it must be silver; nevertheless it would seem to be equated with the chalice and paten, which must be of gold or silver or at least of tin, if the church is very poor. But it cannot be of bronze, nor of wood or glass, etc. Besides, if sacred vessels are not of gold, they must always be gilded within. But as regards consecration, this certainly is not required for the ciborium; rather, blessing suffices, for in the Roman Ritual the blessing of the pyx is noted among those things which do not need an anointing of chrism. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, nn. 370 and 383.

Question 2. Does one sin gravely who neglects to keep a light before the Most Holy Sacrament?

Resp. Affirmatively, if the time is notable.

Before the tabernacle in which the Most Holy Sacrament is reserved, at least one lamp is to shine continually day and night (Can. 1271).

The law itself is indeed grave, and violated in a notable space of time it induces liability of grave fault; but an entire day is reputed by many authors to be a notable time.

Question 3. Is olive oil required for nourishing the lamp of the church?

Resp. The lamp, according to canon 1271, is to be nourished with olive oil or beeswax; but where olive oil cannot be had, it is permitted to the prudence of the local Ordinary that it be changed to other oils, vegetable ones as far as can be done.

"As regards electric light, the summary of the Decrees is this: Electric light is forbidden, not only together with candles of wax upon altars (4097), but also in place of candles or lamps which are prescribed before the Most Holy Sacrament or the Relics of the Saints. For other places of the church and other cases, electric illumination is permitted according to the prudent judgment of the Ordinary, provided that in all things the gravity which the sanctity of the place and the dignity of the Sacred Liturgy demand is preserved. (3859, 4206, and 4210 ad 1.) Nor is it lawful, at the time of private or public exposition, to illuminate the interior part of the ciborium with electric lamps placed in that interior part itself, so that the Most Holy Eucharist may be better seen by the faithful." - S. C. R. 24 Jun. 1914.

Note here that this lamp, according to most authors, with whom the practice of many churches accords, must not be placed in a lateral part, but in the middle before the altar at which the Eucharist is reserved. This same thing seems to be required by the Rubric of the Roman Ritual and by some decrees of the S. R. C., without, however, their being able by force of the words to induce absolute certainty in this matter. - Cf. Second Plenary Council of Baltimore, n. 267. - Gardellini, n. 3525. - Acta S. Sedis, vol. I, p. 38. - De Herdt, vol. 3, n. 182.

Question 4. What is to be said about the obligation of using the conopaeum?

Resp. It is certain 1st. that it is prescribed by the Roman Ritual, and that this prescription is to be observed; for when the doubt was proposed: "Whether the Tabernacle must be covered with a conopaeum, as the Ritual bears," the S. R. C. of 21 July 1855 responded: "Affirmatively." - It is certain 2nd. that a contrary custom already existing in the Diocese of Santiago of Chile was reproved by the same S. R. C. on 28 Apr. 1866, which responded similarly on 1 Jul. 1904. - Nevertheless, they who among us do not use the conopaeum do not seem to be condemned of sin, so long as the Bishops are silent and the contrary practice is so universal. - Note, however, that the conopaeum can be woven of silk, wool, cotton, or hemp, and although it is more praiseworthy that its color be varied for the various offices and feasts, nevertheless the white color can always be retained. Cf. De Herdt, vol. 3, n. 180. - O'Kane, n. 160. - Lehmkuhl, n. 132, III, note 7.

Question 5. What must be done with fragments of hosts, if any are found?

Resp. 1st. If a priest finds fragments of his present sacrifice, he must consume them, even after the ablutions, whether they are small or large, because they belong to the same sacrifice. But this must be observed not only immediately after Mass, but also if the priest is in the sacristy, still, however, clothed in the sacred vestments. But if the priest has already put off the sacred vestments, he must place the fragments back in the tabernacle, if one is present, or reserve them for another priest who will celebrate the same morning. If neither can be done, let him consume them himself. But if the remains were consecrated in another Mass, they are not to be consumed after the ablutions, but must be placed back in a decent place. The reason is that the Rubric of the Missal permits a priest who is not fasting to consume only those remains which belong to the same sacrifice. Yet if this cannot be done and a grave danger of irreverence is present, then let the priest consume them. Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 251. - Benedict XIV, de Sacrif. Missae. Rubric of the Missal, tit. 7, n. 2.

Resp. 2nd. But if a layman finds fragments, let him admonish a priest as soon as possible if any is nearby, or call him if he can be found. But the priest, reverently collecting the fragment, is to place it back in the ciborium or in a decent and safe place, if the tabernacle is lacking, so that it can be consumed in the next Mass. But if a priest cannot be had, let the fragment be collected reverently by the layman himself in clean paper or a clean linen cloth, by means of a little needle, and be placed within a corporal or in a decent vessel until the priest comes.

Question 6. What must be done if a host certainly or doubtfully consecrated is found on the altar or elsewhere?

Resp. If the host is believed to be certainly consecrated and otherwise seems clean and recently consecrated, it is to be placed back with the others in the ciborium. It can also be consumed by the celebrant before the ablutions. But if it is not clean, or if it has been drawn from a place not clean, or is not recently consecrated, it is not to be mixed with the others; but the celebrant will be able to consume it before the ablution. But if he experiences too great repugnance, let him place the host apart in the tabernacle in a clean vessel until it is corrupted, and, once corrupted, let it be cast into the sacrarium. But if it is doubtfully consecrated, it is to be consumed by the priest in Mass after the ablution and before the purification; but if it provokes too great nausea for him, it is to be placed back in the tabernacle, apart, until it has been corrupted, as has just been said. - Cf. the Rubric of the Missal, tit. 7, de defectibus.

Question 7. What must be done if a sick person has rejected the sacred species?

Resp. If they appear, they must be diligently collected in a clean vessel, carried to the church, and preserved in a safe and well-closed place until they are altogether corrupted, so that they can be thrown into the sacrarium without irreverence. But if they cannot be discerned, as being altogether mixed with filth, the mouth of the sick person must indeed be wiped; but whatever has been rejected is to be collected with tow; then, after the tow has been burned, the ashes are to be thrown into the sacrarium. - Cf. Reuter, n. 169. - Gousset, n. 232.

Question 8. Whether and how often must the consecrated particles be renewed?

Resp. Let consecrated Hosts ... both be fresh and be renewed frequently, so that there may be no danger of corruption, with the instructions of the Ordinary being observed. Cf. Can. 1272. This renewal is to be done at least once a week according to the Ceremonial of Bishops. "This rule," say the Baltimore Fathers, "which the Sacred Congregation of Rites has not only confirmed more often, but truly has declared to oblige strictly and rigorously, we seriously inculcate to all priests as to be observed faithfully." Moreover, they add after the Roman Ritual: "Where a priest has consecrated new hosts, let him distribute or consume the old ones first, and by no means keep them in the tabernacle. Let him take care besides that the particles to be consecrated are fresh." - Cf. Second Plenary Council of Baltimore, n. 268. - O'Kane, nn. 620 and 621.¹

¹ Cf. Addenda, p. 1088, n. 11.

Question 9. How must the ciborium be purified in renewing the particles?

Resp. The renewal of the ciborium is to be done in the Mass itself, in the following manner: the celebrant, after consuming the Most Precious Blood, will consume the old hosts, even if they are many; but he can consume 20 or 30 hosts thus. Rarely, however, will it happen that there are more, because there should not be consecrated except as much as seems sufficient. But if at some time a much greater quantity of hosts would have to be consumed, the priest can consume them separately in several Masses, or even several priests celebrating successively can consume them. But the smaller particles found in the ciborium he will cast into the chalice, and, with wine poured over them, will consume them, and he will deposit the new hosts in a wholly empty ciborium. He can also pour wine into the ciborium in order to collect the smallest particles. The wine, however, must not be drunk from the ciborium, but poured back into the chalice. Cf. Lacroix, nn. 501 and following. - O'Kane, n. 622.

If the priest through inadvertence had first consumed the ablution, he could still purify the ciborium and consume the remains, because for the consumption it is morally reputed one. Cf. Lacroix, n. 502. - Elbel, n. 77. - Tamburini, de Communione, chap. 2, n. 34.

On account of the danger of contagion which in hospitals of lepers comes from consuming the purification of the sacred pyx, the S. C. R. on 19 Feb. 1909 granted a special manner for these places. "Let there be prepared upon the altar a small vessel with water and tow or cotton, into which small vessel the purification of the pyx, to be performed in the usual manner, is to be put, and that, as soon as it can be done, is to be cast into the sacrarium." Thus the Sacred Congregation responded to the Superior General of the C. SS. Redemptoris.