Tabernacle
The tabernacle is a secure receptacle distinct from the altar, reserving the Blessed Sacrament. It is normally fixed, opaque, and locked. The GIRM prefers a place apart from the altar of celebration, in the sanctuary or a suitable connected chapel, according to the bishop's judgment. A sanctuary lamp marks the reserved Eucharist.
Key points
- Reservation witnesses to Christ's Eucharistic presence beyond the celebration of Mass.
- Look for: A secure shrine with a sanctuary lamp.
- An illustrative Roman Catholic parish in the Latin rite, assembled for study rather than surveyed from a single building. Plans, devotional furnishings, music, and the locations of the font and tabernacle vary; Eastern Catholic churches have other traditions. Sizes, materials, and spacing are illustrative, and displayed vessels represent different moments of worship.