Liturgical Clearinghouse

ARCHIVES CLEARINGHOUSE GUIDELINES

The Archives maintains a clearinghouse for storing and distributing liturgical items that are no longer in use in parishes.

Please have a conversation with the Archives Lead before donating or obtaining items. Here are some general guidelines.

1. Liturgical items are distributed on a first-come and first-served basis. They are to be used in parishes, Catholic schools and other Catholic institutions within the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton, not for personal use.
2. There is no charge for obtaining items, they are provided on a permanent loan basis.
3. Liturgical items are for pick-up only. There are no delivery and mailing services available.
4. Liturgical furniture such as altars, pews, tabernacle stands and musical instruments such as organs and pianos are not accepted because of limitations of space and staff capability.

DISPOSAL PROCEDURES for BLESSED OBJECTS

From time to time it becomes necessary for the Archives to manage the disposal of liturgical objects. This is undertaken with utmost care to ensure that the items are disposed of in a manner fitting to their use (Canon 1171).

Blessed objects of devotion including those listed below are buried in consecrated ground.

• Sacred vessels such as chalices, ciboria, patens, pyx, oil stocks
• Crucifixes
• Statues that have been blessed
• Paschal candles or other blessed candles that cannot be burnt down or donated
• Holy Bibles, missals and lectionaries
• Prayer cards
• Wooden rosaries and dried-out palms
• Vestments, altar cloth and linen
• Rosaries made of plastic and metal
• Altar stones

An altar stone is a single unbroken piece of stone (or marble) on which are cut five Greek crosses, one at each corner, and one in the middle. It has a hollowed out cavity, called the sepulcher, in which relics are placed and sealed.

A relic is a part of the body of a beatified or canonized person usually bone or hair, or something they touched, or something touched to them. The body part is the type of relic placed in altar stones. A testimonial document that states when the altar stone was consecrated and identifies whose relics are in the sepulcher is either sealed inside with the relic or affixed on the back of the stone.

Procedure:

• Altar stones with relics can be removed from altars and buried in the Catholic cemetery of any parish near the central cross of the cemetery.
  Altar stones can also be sent to the Archives with a note on their provenance in view of eventual appropriate disposal.
• If the testimonial document is absent, if possible, the identity of the relics should be made known to the Archives Lead.

DISPOSAL OF ITEMS THAT ARE NOT BLESSED

1. Prayer books, hymn books and other religious books can be recycled. Prior to disposal, remove hard covers and plastic covers.
2. Banners that are not blessed must be cut up before disposing in the garbage.