Placement of Relics at an Altar
Date: December 16, 2023
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Question: I read some of your answers as well as the Ceremonial of Bishops regarding the display of relics. However, I am unable to find any liturgical documentation on reliquaries that are placed to the front of and under an already erected altar. These containers are always sitting on the floor of a chapel and visible to the faithful, especially during Mass. Could you kindly provide some guidance on that for me please? -- R.J., Orlando, Florida
Answer: If I have understood the question well, our reader is asking if there are specific rules regarding the stable exposition of relics of saints. In most cases this would be of those recently beatified or canonized.
While there does not seem to be any official document addressing this specific topic, the most recent document related to relics is a 2017 instruction on this subject from the then Congregation for the Causes of Saints, “Relics in the Church.”
Most of the document has precise canonical instructions on authenticating and translating relics, though the introduction offers some general principles:
“Relics in the Church have always received particular veneration and attention because the body of the Blesseds and of the Saints, destined for the resurrection, has been on earth the living temple of the Holy Spirit and the instrument of their holiness, recognized by the Apostolic See through beatification and canonization. The relics of the Blesseds and of the Saints may not be displayed for the veneration of the faithful without a proper certificate of the ecclesiastical authority who guarantees their authenticity.
“The body of the Blesseds and of the Saints or notable parts of the bodies themselves or the sum total of the ashes obtained by their cremation are traditionally considered significant relics. Diocesan Bishops, Eparchs, those equivalent to them in law and the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints reserve for these relics a special care and vigilance in order to assure their preservation and veneration and to avoid abuses. They are, therefore, preserved in properly sealed urns and are kept in places that guarantee their safety, respect their sacredness and encourage their cult.
“Little fragments of the body of the Blesseds and of the Saints as well as objects that have come in direct contact with their person are considered non-significant relics. If possible, they must be preserved in sealed cases. They are, however, preserved and honored with a religious spirit, avoiding every type of superstition and illicit trade.
“A similar discipline is applied also to the mortal remains (exuviae) of the Servants of God and the Venerables, whose Causes of beatification and canonization are in progress. Until they are elevated to the honors of the altars through beatification or canonization, their mortal remains may not enjoy any public cult nor those privileges which are reserved only to the body of someone who has been beatified or canonized.
“The present Instruction substitutes the Appendix of the Instruction Sanctorum Mater and is directed to diocesan Bishops, Eparchs and those who are equivalent to them in law, as well as to those who participate in the procedures regarding the relics of Blesseds and Saints and the mortal remains of Servants of God and Venerables, in order to facilitate the application of what is required in such a particular matter.
“In this Instruction is presented the canonical procedure to follow in order to verify the authenticity of relics and mortal remains, to guarantee their preservation and to promote the veneration of relics through the possible specific procedures: canonical recognition, extraction of fragments and creation of relics, translation of the urn and alienation of relics. Furthermore, the requirements for obtaining the consent of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints to perform such procedures and the procedure to follow for the pilgrimage of relics are laid out.”
A year before this document, the Congregation for Divine Worship had issued a notification regarding the liturgical procedures to follow during pilgrimages of relics but did not specifically address our topic.
Also, apart from the norms already referred to by our reader in the Ceremonial of Bishops, we have the following from the Directory of Popular Piety:
“237. The Missale Romanum reaffirms the validity ‘of placing the relics of the Saints under an altar that is to be dedicated, even when not those of the martyrs’. This usage signifies that the sacrifice of the members has its origin in the Sacrifice of the altar, as well as symbolizing the communion with the Sacrifice of Christ of the entire Church, which is called to witness, event to the point of death, fidelity to her Lord and Spouse.
“Many popular usages have been associated with this eminently liturgical cultic expression. The faithful deeply revere the relics of the Saints. An adequate pastoral instruction of the faithful about the use of relics will not overlook:
“-- ensuring the authenticity of the relics exposed for the veneration of the faithful; where doubtful relics have been exposed for the veneration of the faithful, they should be discreetly withdrawn with due pastoral prudence;
“-- preventing undue dispersal of relics into small pieces, since such practice is not consonant with due respect for the human body; the liturgical norms stipulate that relics must be ‘of a sufficient size as make clear that they are parts of the human body’;
“-- admonishing the faithful to resist the temptation to form collections of relics; in the past this practice has had some deplorable consequences;
“-- preventing any possibility of fraud, trafficking, or superstition.
“The various forms of popular veneration of the relics of the Saints, such as kissing, decorations with lights and flowers, bearing them in processions, in no way exclude the possibility of taking the relics of the Saints to the sick and dying, to comfort them or use the intercession of the Saint to ask for healing. Such should be conducted with great dignity and be motivated by faith. The relics of the Saints should not be exposed on the mensa of the altar, since this is reserved for the Body and Blood of the King of Martyrs.”
The guidelines of the U.S. bishops’ conference on church buildings, “Built of Living Stones,” also offer a synthesis of the general rules.
“§ 60 § In the Church's history and tradition, the altar was often placed over the tombs of the saints or the relics of saints were deposited beneath the altar. The presence of relics of saints in the altar provides a witness to the Church's belief that the Eucharist celebrated on the altar is the source of the grace that won sanctity for the saints. The custom of placing small relics of martyrs or other saints in an altar stone and setting this in the mensa has changed since the Second Vatican Council. Relics of martyrs or other saints may be placed beneath the altar, as long as the relics are of a size sufficient for them to be recognizable as parts of a human body and that they are of undoubted authenticity. Relics are no longer placed on the altar or set into the mensa in an altar stone.”
From the above documents I think we can draw some practical conclusions.
First, while relics are no longer placed upon an altar, there does not seem to be any problem in placing them below an altar.
Second, since several documents specify that significant relics placed below an altar should appear to be parts of a human body, it would appear that they may be placed in urns that make the relics visible even though this is not required.
This would be most common when the entire body is available and particularly well preserved. For example, St. John XXIII’s body is visible under a side altar in St. Peter’s Basilica. Blessed Carlo Acutis is interred in Assisi in a tomb, albeit not under an altar, which is visible to all visitors to the church. His preserved heart is also visible in Assisi’s cathedral.
There might be some cases in which it is difficult to decide the proper manner or place in which the relics of recently beatified or canonized persons are placed. This is why the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints will be involved in the entire process to help determine and approve the most adequate solution in each case.
That is why occasionally solutions might seem to go against the general norms. For example, if the relics to be venerated are in an older church with many side chapels, permission may occasionally be granted place them on the mensa of an altar no longer used for the Eucharistic celebration.
While placing relics in front of an altar would not seem to be an ideal situation, again, permission may be granted if this solution can be safely achieved with all due decorum and respect -- for example, in order to avoid any damage to a historically or artistically significant altar.
The above documents would also suggest that if significant relics are to be permanently placed under the already consecrated principal altar of a church, it would probably require some form of renewal of the altar and possibly that it be consecrated anew.
Although, as we mentioned above, relics may be exceptionally placed in front of an altar, general liturgical principles would insist that they should in no way obstruct the dignified and reverent celebration of all the rites of holy Mass.
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