| Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeping where theres a Tabernacle | Rosa | Monday, October 25, 2004 |
Question: I'm an associate of a religious order, and once a month all of the associate's gather with the religious for an "associate's day." We gather Friday night, sleep in their guest dorms, have overnight adoration, and then Saturday starts the associate's day. Two women and I got permission to sleep in the chapel (the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in a church, by chapel I mean a small chapel in a different building where the Blessed Sacrament is reposed in a Tabernacle.) We were told that this was okay so long as we were respectful and prayerful... no eating, no changing clothes, no hanging out, etc. Just praying and sleeping. Recently we were told by a different priest that this isn't allowed... he said there's a part of Canon Law that says you can only sleep where there's a Tabernacle in certain circumstances, like if there's no other option or if there's an emergency. Is this correct? The priest who originally gave us permission to sleep in the chapel is very strict and to the T so I thought if there was anything wrong with it he would have told us... so now I'm curious. |
||
| Question Answered by Mr. Jacob Slavek
Dear Rosa, I didn't see anything in Canon Law about sleeping during adoration, at the tabernacle or in church.Sleeping in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament or before Jesus in the tabernacle doesn't strike me as being "respectful" or "prayerful". I wouldn't do it, unless it was an "accident" because I had been praying too long instead of going to bed.Church is for praying, bedrooms and dorms are for sleeping and also praying. Mr. Slavek Footer Notes: (a) A Eucharistic Minister is clergy (Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion). Laity are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and should never be called Eucharistic Ministers. (b) There is no such Mass called the Novus Ordo. The Current Mass is the Roman Missal of 2000, or the Oridinary Form of the Mass. The Tridentine Mass is the Roman Missal of 1962, or the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Please refrain from using the term, Novus Ordo. Thanks. (c) The titles of Acolyte and Lector belong exclusively to the Installed Offices of Acolyte and Lector, who are men (only) appointed by the Bishop. These roles performed by others are Altar Servers and Readers, respectively. |
||