CHAPTER II
: THE RESERVATION AND VENERATION OF THE BLESSED EUCHARIST
Can.
934 §1 The blessed Eucharist:
1° must be
reserved in the cathedral church or its equivalent, in every parish church, and
in the church or oratory attached to the house of a religious institute or
society of apostolic life
2° may be
reserved in a Bishop's chapel and, by permission of the local Ordinary, in
other churches, oratories and chapels.
§2 In
sacred places where the blessed Eucharist is reserved there must always be
someone who is responsible for it, and as far as possible a priest is to
celebrate Mass there at least twice a month.
Can.
935 It is not lawful for anyone to keep the blessed Eucharist in personal
custody or to carry it around, unless there is an urgent pastoral need and the
prescriptions of the diocesan Bishop are observed.
Can.
936 In a house of a religious institute or other house of piety, the blessed
Eucharist is to be reserved only in the church or principal oratory attached to
the house. For a just reason, however, the Ordinary can permit it to be
reserved also in another oratory of the same house.
Can.
937 Unless there is a grave reason to the contrary, a church in which the
blessed Eucharist is reserved is to be open to the faithful for at least some
hours every day, so that they can pray before the blessed Sacrament.
Can.
938 §1 The blessed Eucharist is to be reserved habitually in only one
tabernacle of a church or oratory.
§2 The
tabernacle in which the blessed Eucharist is reserved should be sited in a
distinguished place in the church or oratory, a place which is conspicuous,
suitably adorned and conducive to prayer.
§3 The
tabernacle in which the blessed Eucharist is habitually reserved is to be
immovable, made of solid and non-transparent material, and so locked as to give
the greatest security against any danger of profanation.
§4 For a
grave reason, especially at night, it is permitted to reserve the blessed
Eucharist in some other safer place, provided it is fitting.
§5 The
person in charge of a church or oratory is to see to it that the key of the
tabernacle in which the blessed Eucharist is reserved, is in maximum safe
keeping.
Can.
939 Consecrated hosts, in a quantity sufficient for the needs of the faithful,
are to be kept in a pyx or ciborium, and are to be renewed frequently, the
older hosts having been duly consumed.
Can.
940 A special lamp is to burn continuously before the tabernacle in which the
blessed Eucharist is reserved, to indicate and to honour the presence of
Christ.
Can.
941 §1 In churches or oratories which are allowed to reserve the blessed
Eucharist, there may be exposition, either with the pyx or with the monstrance,
in accordance with the norms prescribed in the liturgical books.
§2
Exposition of the blessed Sacrament may not take place while Mass is being
celebrated in the same area of the church or oratory.
Can.
942 It is recommended that in these churches or oratories, there is to be each
year a solemn exposition of the blessed Sacrament for an appropriate, even if
not for a continuous time, so that the local community may more attentively
meditate on and adore the eucharistic mystery. This exposition is to take place
only if a fitting attendance of the faithful is foreseen, and the prescribed
norms are observed.
Can.
943 The minister of exposition of the blessed Sacrament and of the eucharistic
blessing is a priest or deacon. In special circumstances the minister of
exposition and deposition alone, but without the blessing, is an acolyte, and
extraordinary minister of holy communion, or another person deputed by the
local Ordinary, in accordance with the regulations of the diocesan Bishop.
Can.
944 §1 Wherever in the judgement of the diocesan Bishop it can be done, a
procession through the streets is to be held, especially on the solemnity of
the Body and Blood of Christ, as a public witness of veneration of the blessed
Eucharist.
§2 It is
for the diocesan Bishop to establish such regulations about processions as will
provide for participation in them and for their being carried out in a
dignified manner.
|