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Servant2theKing
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Is there a Church law or anything that makes it wrong to purchase used Church items? I ran across a person selling a vintage communion rail gate. If there is nothing wrong with purchasing such an item, it would make an inspiring front for a family altar. I don't remember the term used for removing a Church or sacred object from sacred use, but am wondering if such a thing would have already occurred for a communion rail gate to be in the possession of a lay person? I would really appreciate any advice on this before contacting the person further, especially as to whether use of such an item would be lawful or ethical. I often feel drawn to rescuing sacred objects, to prevent them from being treated sacriligously, but am also concerned about proper and lawful use of sacred objects by the laity.
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MaryM
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I found this in the EWTN library.
When a Church is Desacralized - the bottom addendum discusses objects from churches more than the original article. It seems to be kind of gray. I certainly think it would be better to be safe in a Catholic home than who knows where...
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Mary M. in Denver
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Servant2theKing
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Thank you Mary for locating this information. It does seem that it would be better that such an item be used in a Catholic home for devotional purposes, than ending up being used in less appropriate ways.
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Erin
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MaryM wrote:
| It seems to be kind of gray. I certainly think it would be better to be safe in a Catholic home than who knows where... |
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I agree.
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Erin
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Lacy
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I spend a lot of time second hand shopping, and I can't not buy crucifixes when I see them. I just know that they're probably blessed and I just don't want them ending up somewhere weird. So I have lots of them. So there you have it. If you have a chance to "rescue" a probably blessed object, my vote is to go for it.
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Lacy
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Servant2theKing
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If any of you happen upon a church treasure, such as the one I inquired about last month, don't hesitate to rescue it....whenever possible find a place for such treasures in your own Domestic Church! One month later, we have acquired the rescued communion rail gate....home at last. We were blessed to fashion it into a kneeler, using various and sundry items at hand, so we were able to "use what we have". We had a lovely, small, antique, child-size, armless loveseat (purchased many years ago from a garage sale, in a much forlorn state)...its seat just the perfect width between the legs to accomodate the base of the communion rail gate. I re-upholstered the seat with tapestry style fabric (from a seldom-worn garage sale jacket)...dh cut an opening in the back, which slips perfectly over the base of the altar rail gate....he also shortened the legs to make it just the right height for kneeling. The extra depth of the seat/kneeler makes it suitable for kneeling or sitting, if desired. We determined that it was too close to the wall when placed against it, so we employed a three tier table that has made the rounds in our home for many years (another garage sale find, too rickety for most uses) to rest between the newly fashioned kneeler and the wall beneath a much-loved image of Christ the Priest. Dh, handydandy fella that he is, used angle brackets to secure them together for greater stability. The lower shelves of the table holds prayer booklets...the top, a perfect place for candles, rosaries, our prayer intention jar, etc. The communion rail gate itself is in rather distressed condition, but I decided to leave the original paint intact, with its nicely marbled design, and simply touched up the Sacred Heart centerpiece, adding gold where a few chips had come off, and renewing the red of the heart and the flame where it had faded. A pew pocket for holy cards, a hook for special rosaries (other objects already at hand) made our kneeler/altar complete. Total cost; $75 for the communion rail gate and about $3 for the brackets...its value to us; immeasurable.
Another wondrous aspect of our communion rail gate is that it is very similar to one we saw during a recent daytrip to visit the relics of St. John Bosco in Chicago....we made an additional, unplanned stop at St. Mary of the Angels (which we had visited years ago, during the very early stages of its restoration, around 1991)....a communion rail gate at one of the side altars is quite similar to the one we rescued. Often, when I kneel to pray I am transported back to the awe-inspiring church of St. Mary of the Angels http://www.sma-church.org/static.asp?path=3330 which welcomed us anew, on a wondrous Sunday evening in Chicago, with open doors and hearts filled with wonder at the beauty of our Faith and the incredible churches which have withstood the test of time and so many changes in the world today. God is so good to bestow us with treasures to uplift and inspire us in our own Domestic Churches! Be assured that all the intentions held dear in each of your hearts will be included whenever we kneel and pray!
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Question Regarding Used Church Items
