Bulletin Q&A Article, Published 11-10-24:
I worked in an antique mall some years ago and rescued quite a few items I felt shouldn’t be there. What is the right way for people to handle these possibly blessed treasures?
It is great, if you have the resources, to rescue items that appear in antique shops or garage sales, either to find them a new home or to dispose of them properly. I touched on this subject a couple of years ago when I responded to a question regarding disposal of blessed and consecrated items. The following is my response from August, 2022. I hope it answers your question.
Disposing of religious articles, especially blessed or consecrated articles, is a serious issue to consider. Canon Law states: “Sacred objects, which are designated for divine worship by dedication or blessing, are to be treated reverently and are not to be employed for profane or inappropriate use even if they are owned by private persons” (1171).
The general rule for disposal is to burn them or bury them. The reason for this is to show respect by not simply throwing them in the garbage, but it also prevents someone from discovering them and using them in a sacrilegious manner. For this reason items, such as rosaries, should be disassembled before they are buried if they cannot be burned.
There is, however, a practical issue for those do not have the ability to either burn or bury, for example someone living in an apartment. Maybe you know someone with a fire pit? Fr. Hurley occasionally gives me a bag of items, such as cotton balls saturated with sacred oils, to take home and burn in my yard since he has no ability to do it at the rectory. I read that some Catholic cemeteries will accept blessed objects for burial. I emailed Mt. Elliott Cemeteries to ask if they provide this service, but I have not received a response. I did talk with someone at Guardian Angels Cemetery, one of the Mt. Elliott cemeteries, and he indicated that they did not provide this service, but indicated family members could place articles in the graves of loved ones when they were buried.
With regard to blessed palms, they should be burned. The ashes of burned palms are used on Ash Wednesday, and many parishes offer the opportunity to return their old palms for this purpose.
Disposal of items is a growing problem, even if they are not worn or broken. We are living in a time when many Catholics are no longer practicing their faith. As the elderly die, their family members may not provide a loving home for their religious articles and many items are showing up in estate sales. My aunt recently died at the age of 103. She left behind an Infant of Prague statue that had been my grandmother’s. Most of the 25 grandchildren had no interest. It now resides in the chapel at our home and I hope one of my children will cherish it when Jenni and I pass on.
Most items that are blessed are blessed by a priest or deacon. But there are certain items that receive a more solemn blessing referred to as consecration, and require special consideration for respect and disposal. The ordinary minister of consecration is a bishop who uses holy oils instead of holy water in a more elaborate ceremony. One of the items that is consecrated is the chalice. If you happen to see a chalice in a resale shop, please try to obtain it, if you are able, and deliver it to your pastor so it can be treated with respect or properly disposed.