Posted on 03/29/2008 6:46:12 AM PDT by NYer
A trend developing is finding Catholic sacred articles on places such as E-Bay or other online salvage sites. The real problem with these sites is that there is no attempt to reuse, or restore the items for their proper liturgical and devotional use. They are simply sold to the highest bidder. Whether the buyer is another Catholic Church, an individual, a bar, a nightclub or anything else is not even considered. The buying and selling of sacred relics is forbidden by the Catholic Church, and even if it wasn’t treating all of these materials as architectural surplus is improper stewardship of resources that in many cases have been donated to the Church.
Altars, statues, and Catholic accessories were intended as objects for the proper celebration of Catholic rituals. They have no place in hotel lobbies, bars, department stores or non-Catholic churches as decorational accessories.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit King Richards’s web site and speak to the owner regarding his approach to reselling Catholic articles. Rick Lair, of King Richards, indicated very clearly that his company does not advocate the careless selling and reselling of Catholic objects online to just anyone. His business is committed to finding a Catholic home for Catholic sacred objects within newly designed or renovated Catholic Churches.
Such a reassurance is important. Not just because our Catholic Churches are closing, merging or consolidating…because they are reminders of our Catholic sacred art and heritage in the United States.
The Church throughout the Unites States is experiencing a significant demographic shift. It is comforting to know that as some Church close, the Catholic sacred furnishings of these old traditional Church’s can be reused in other dioceses in the country where the Catholic population is growing and new Church’s are being built, not closed.
As Catholics, we need to develop a consciousness of material recycling when it comes to our sacred spaces and devotional items. Highly prized materials and talents were part of the American Catholic Church’s development in the eighteenth through the twentieth century and we need to recognize and restore these sacred spaces.
Frequently, I have known of Catholic parishes that renovate and just toss out old fixtures for liturgical worship. As a Church, we cannot afford such extravagances and as a globally sensitive faith the world cannot tolerate such excess’ either.
Many architects specialize in the reutilization of older materials and religious accessories. Any Catholic Church making liturgical changes should make use of such services, before just spending more money on reduplicated articles and materials. Of course, one should note that there are some articles that should not be reused…for example…poorly executed artistic expressions such as statues with “glow in the dark” eyes. However, before things are consigned to the bin, every parish should have a qualified architectural salvage company look at what is in the parish basement.
Public television has made the show, “Antiques Roadshow” synonymous with contemporary treasure hunting. Well, companies such as King Richard’s might just be the Catholic equivalent of the popular PBS series. They are committed to keeping Catholic articles of worship in a Catholic religious context. They also have no tolerance for companies that want to exploit the sales of Catholic religious articles.
There is also a growing trend among Catholics for the construction of “home chapels”. King Richards works with clients on their design needs for parish as well as home spaces of worship for Catholics.
Finally, as a Catholic Church we need to stop selling our artistic and liturgical heritage on E-Bay and other sites of unscrupulous antiques resellers. Our Church is not for resale and our Catholic materials are not intended as boutique accessories.
One should look at King Richard’s website, http://kingrichards.com to consider adopting quality Catholic liturgical and devotional items for your local parish or home chapel. It is a good example of Catholic stewardship of our artistic possessions and it is an environmentally friendly gesture as well.
My (non-Catholic, non-religious) sister in law has had a wonderful wooden statue of the Virgin in her living room now for years. She brought it back with her from South America which I’m assuming she purchased it in an antique shop. I just say a silent prayer to Mary when ever I see it. It’s not displayed in any sort of disrespectful way so I say nothing. There is a painting in the same room which I consider to be demonic. weird.
Besides the baptismal fonts removed from closed Churches, there are others that come from Churches that replaced them with immersion pools. How big is the market for used Baptismal fonts? Does it not seem fitting that one Catholic Church, no longer in need of a Baptismal font, donate it to another?!
Besides the baptismal fonts removed from closed Churches, there are others that come from Churches that replaced them with immersion pools. How big is the market for used Baptismal fonts? Does it not seem fitting that one Catholic Church, no longer in need of a Baptismal font, donate it to another?!
Nothing wrong with selling glow in the dark statues on E-Bay. Much better than trashing them.
Actually, if you wish to get rid of religious items like that, you can bury them. I think it’s better than putting them up in places where people might buy them to mock them. Speaking of which, I notice they still make those awful glow in the dark statues. Somebody out there must be buying them - new!
Doesn’t the Vatican have about 600 nails from the Cross of Christ? They could make some scratch selling some of those and they could always make more to replace them.
Just curious: Can you not deconsecrate them?
Absolutely, with church closures and wreckovations going on across the nation, it seems there should be a coordinated effort to get churches like yours a baptismal font.
Just to console you a bit, our priest also uses a pitcher and bowl! (Better that then these immersion pools which make a mockery of the Sacrament, with joking and splashing priests, dripping candidates and giggling parishioners.)
It works! And, you're right. This trend towards immersion pools is nothing more than a way to dispose of surplus funds to put on a good show for the congregation. It would be better if they were to invest those monies in assisting with the construction of seminaries in Africa where vocations are booming.
Thanks for the link!
Our church used a horse trough for a while in the early 1980’s. My wife and the pastor both were offended when I suggested that the name of the parish be changed to “Our Lady of Mr. Ed.”
LOL!
No, but hucksters like Brown, LaHaye and Jenkins have books that people like you believe are true.
From Wikipedia:
The Catholic Encyclopedia remarked that "Very little reliance can be placed upon the authenticity of the thirty or more holy nails which are still venerated, or which have been venerated until recent times, in such treasuries as that of Santa Croce in Rome, or those of Venice, Aachen, the Escurial, Nuremberg, Prague, etc. Possibly some had begun by professing to be facsimiles which had touched or contained filings from some other nail whose claim was more ancient. It is conceivable that imitations in this way may have come in a very brief space of time to be reputed originals.
LOL. Marlow’s response cuts you down to size. Put that in your pointy hat and smoke it and have a holy nail while you’re at it.
Reliquary?
There fixed it
From Catholic Encyclopedia
There fixed it.
The bridle of Constantine is believed to be identical with a relic of this form which for several centuries has been preserved at Carpentras, but there is another claimant of the same kind at Milan. Similarly the diadem of Constantine is asserted to be at Monza, and it has long been known as "the iron crown of Lombardy.
While visiting friends in Milan a while back, they drove me over to the Cathedral, quite excited to show me this crown.
So if the 1917 CE is pointing that out back in 1917, then pretty clearly the Vatican does not at present claim to have 600 nails from the True Cross, or anywhere close to that number, so joebuck's statement is purely specious.
The church most famous for having relics of the crucifixion is Santa Croce in Jerusalem (which is really in Rome), which claims to have one -- just one -- nail.
joebuck's statement of "600" was obviously hyperbole to make a humorous point. You'll pick up on those things when you grow up.
I'm running out of time for that.
make a humorous point
The "humorous point" being what, exactly?
Some dioceses, to their credit, are warehousing these artifacts. My former (brand-new) Parish furnished (and is continuing to furnish) its new Church with artifacts obtained from (among other sources) a warehouse in Pennsylvania. We were amused to learn that in our Stations of the Cross, made of reinforced plaster, the reinforcing material is HEMP!
I guess that means I'm not alone in finding that whole spectacle disedifying.
Could you possibly provide me with a link or address or phone number to call? What's even more disconcerting is that oftentimes, these religious objects were donated by parishioners in memory of deceased loves one, at no cost to the parish or diocese. Now they are turning around and re-selling them. That is just wrong.
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