Misplaced Pages

#637362

44-529: An acolyte , in its original religious definition, is one who assists a higher-ranking member of a church or cult. Acolyte , The Acolyte , Acolytes , or The Acolytes may also refer to: Acolyte The word acolyte is derived from the Greek word ἀκόλουθος ( akolouthos ), meaning an attendant, via Late Latin acolythus . In the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholic Churches ,

88-649: A ciborium . Incense is also burnt on the altar during its consecration by a bishop in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The number of swings of the thurible to be used when incensing persons or objects is specified in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal : The responsibilities of a thurifer include: Another server, previously called a boat boy and now more commonly a boat bearer , may carry

132-410: A boat or container of incense with a small spoon to add grains as the thurible burns low. These rules, except for the manner of incensing the offerings at Mass, applied also before 1969. Earlier editions of the Roman Missal prescribe that the offerings be incensed by forming over them with the thurible three crosses and then three circles, the first two anticlockwise and last clockwise, while also saying

176-493: A hand censer. The boat boy or boat bearer is a junior altar server position found in Catholic and Anglican churches. The role of a boat boy is to assist the thurifer, the senior altar server who carries the thurible. The boat bearer carries the incense boat  [ de ] , a small metal container, Latin navicula , which holds the supplies of incense. The boat has a small spoon inside, Latin cochlearium , which

220-562: A number of other occasional services (see Euchologion ). During funeral services and memorial services ( Panikhida ), the censer is swung almost continuously. Incense is understood as symbolizing the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of the Saints rising to heaven. Incense is offered by the priest or deacon during the services. In some traditions, the ecclesiarch (sacristan) and his assistant ( paraecclesiarch ) will perform

264-587: A portion of the temple and the people). During some censings, especially the Greater Censing, the clergyman who is performing the censing will often carry a candle in his left hand. During Bright Week (the week which begins on Easter Sunday ) the priest and the deacon will carry special Paschal candles at every censing, even the Lesser Censing. While carrying the Paschal candles, the priest or deacon will greet

308-422: A prescribed prayer with the words matching the strokes. They also direct that incensing the altar be done with single swings at 29 designated points of an altar attached to the rear wall of the sanctuary , and at 22 points of a freestanding altar. The 1960 Code of Rubrics , incorporated into the 1962 Roman Missal , envisaged the use of incense at Solemn Mass and Missa cantata , but not at Low Mass . In

352-499: A ring; the inner chain passes through a hole in the conical plate and is attached to another ring to make it easier to lift the lid. In the Greek and some Russian practice twelve bells will be attached to the chains (their ringing symbolizes the teaching of the twelve Apostles ). Sometimes the bowl and lid of the thurible are decorated with crosses or icons in repousse , and may even be decorated with semi-precious stones . When not in use

396-407: A stand, allowing the thurible to be hung safely when still hot, but not in use. Burning charcoal is placed inside the metal censer , either directly into the bowl section, or into a removable crucible if supplied, and incense (of which there are many different varieties) is placed upon the charcoal, where it melts to produce a sweet smelling smoke. This may be done several times during the service as

440-680: Is a metal incense burner suspended from chains, in which incense is burned during worship services. It is used in Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , Assyrian Church of the East and Oriental Orthodox , Church of England as well as in some Lutheran , Old Catholic , United Methodist , Reformed , Presbyterian Church USA , and Anglican churches (with its use almost universal amongst Anglo Catholic Anglican churches). In Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican churches,

484-459: Is also used of altar servers on whom no ordination or institution has been conferred. Pope Benedict XVI spoke of Saint Tarcisius as "presumably an acolyte, that is, an altar server". Pope Francis changed canon law in January 2021 to allow female installed acolytes. Prior to his motu proprio Spiritus Domini only men could be installed acolytes. While the approved English translations of

SECTION 10

#1732848589638

528-408: Is available, incense may be offered by a reader or senior layman , but with a hand censer which has no chains on it, but rather a handle (it often has bells as well, suspended from the handle or around the rim). The hand censer is also used in some monasteries even when a priest is present for certain censings which are done by a monastic other than a vested priest or deacon. During Holy Week it

572-479: Is censed, the priest or deacon will move in a sunwise (clockwise) direction, moving to his right as he censes in order the Holy Table (altar), sanctuary, Iconostasis , walls of the temple, clergy and faithful. There are two types of censing: a Greater Censing (which encompasses the entire temple and all of the people therein), and a Lesser Censing (which, depending upon the liturgical context, consists of censing only

616-503: Is customary in some places for even the priest and deacon to use the hand censer for all of the censings, as a sign of humility and mourning at the Passion of Christ. The faithful will often burn incense, using a hand censer, in the home during Morning and Evening Prayers, and it is not unusual for the head of the household to bless the Holy Icons and all of the members of the household with

660-458: Is necessary, as an extraordinary minister, to distribute the Eucharist to the faithful. In the ministry of the altar, the acolyte has his own functions (cf. nos. 187-193), which he must perform personally." The General Instruction of the Roman Missal adds: "In the absence of an instituted acolyte, lay ministers may be deputed to serve at the altar and assist the priest and the deacon; they may carry

704-418: Is used to transfer the grains of incense onto the red-hot charcoals in the thurible. Although at times the boat bearer transfers the incense himself, more usually he simply holds the boat open as the priest performs this task. In " The Miller's Tale " of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales , it is noted that Absolon, " Gooth with a sencer [Middle English spelling of censer] on the haliday, / Sensynge

748-531: The Ambrosian Rite , the thurible has no top cover, and is swung clockwise before censing a person or object. Use of incense was abandoned in the Church of England by the turn of the 19th century and was later thought to be illegal. Today, the use of incense in an Anglican church is a fairly reliable guide to churchmanship , that is, how ' high ' (more Catholic in liturgical style) or how ' low ' (more Protestant)

792-579: The altar server who carries the thurible is called the thurifer . The practice is rooted in the earlier traditions of Judaism dating from the time of the Second Jewish Temple . Beyond its ecclesiastical use, the thurible is also employed in various other spiritual or ceremonial traditions, including some Gnostic Churches , Freemasonry (especially in the consecration of new lodges ), and in Co-Freemasonry . Thuribles are sometimes employed in

836-467: The ordinary : either a bishop or the head of a similar territory or, in the case of clerical religious institutes, a major superior. Institutions of acolytes not preparing for holy orders are in fact sometimes carried out. The motu proprio assigned to the instituted acolyte the functions previously reserved for the subdeacon , and declared national episcopal conferences free to use the term "subdeacon" in place of that of "acolyte". The functions of

880-426: The announcement of the gospel, the book is censed left, centre and right. If an Anglican church uses incense at only one point of the service, it does so at the offertory. The gifts and the altar are first censed; then follows censing of the priest (three swings of the thurible), of the other clergy (single swing to the gospel side and another to the epistle side), the choir (single or triple swing to either side) and

924-543: The bread and the chalice have been placed upon the altar, to incense the offerings, the cross, and the altar, as well as the priest and the people; at the elevation of the host and the chalice after the consecration. In Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and Eucharistic Adoration in the Roman Rite, incense is also used, and is required if the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in a monstrance rather than being in

SECTION 20

#1732848589638

968-473: The censing at specific moments of the service. The thurible ( Greek : Θυμιατο , Thymiato ; Church Slavonic : Кадило, Кадильница, kadilnitsa ) is usually silver, brass or gold plated (combining in itself at the offering of incense the three gifts of the Biblical Magi : gold , frankincense , and myrrh ). The thurible consists of a metal bowl (usually with a base so it can stand upright) into which

1012-512: The charcoal and incense are placed, and a lid (often topped with a cross ), pierced by holes to allow the fragrance from the incense to escape. The censer will usually have three outer chains (for the Holy Trinity ) attached to the bowl, and a fourth inner chain (for the Oneness of God ) attached to the lid. The three outer chains are gathered together and attached to a round conical plate attached to

1056-559: The congregation (a swing to the gospel side, another to the epistle side and another to the middle). Incense is also used at Solemn Evensong, which by definition is a sung celebration of vespers with use of incense. The Eastern Orthodox Church and the Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholic Churches make frequent use of incense, not only at the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist), but also at Vespers , Matins and

1100-520: The cross, the candles, the thurible , the bread, the wine, and the water, and they may also be deputed to distribute Holy Communion as extraordinary ministers." However, some functions, in particular that of cleansing the Eucharistic vessels, are reserved for an instituted acolyte and are not entrusted to those deputed to assist in that way. As in other churches, in the Latin Church the term "acolyte"

1144-555: The incense burns quite quickly. Once the incense has been placed on the charcoal the thurible is then closed and used for censing. A famous thurible is the huge Botafumeiro in Santiago de Compostela Cathedral , Spain . The word thurible comes from the Old French thurible , which in turn is derived from the Latin term thuribulum . The Latin thuribulum is further formed from

1188-420: The individual church is. Anglo-Catholic churches may use generous quantities of incense. In recent years, some middle-of-the-road Anglican churches have taken to using incense a few times a year for special occasions. The use of incense and chimes is colloquially called "smells and bells" by members of high church parishes, some as an inside joke, while others see it as a pejorative. The number of points within

1232-473: The instituted acolyte are specified in the motu proprio , and have been indicated also in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal , no. 98, which under the heading, "The Ministry of the Instituted Acolyte and Lector", says: "The acolyte is instituted to serve at the altar and to assist the priest and deacon. In particular, it is his responsibility to prepare the altar and the sacred vessels and, if it

1276-662: The light of Jesus Christ going out into the world where believers are called to serve. Similar to those in the Anglican tradition, acolytes in these traditions wear robes called albs , sometimes with a cincture . It is also common for Methodist acolytes to wear the traditional cassock and cotta. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). " Acolyte ". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company. Thurible A thurible (via Old French from Medieval Latin turibulum )

1320-431: The lighting of the altar candles in the worship service is a symbol of Jesus' coming into the presence of the worshiping community. Before lighting the candles the acolyte may bow at the altar out of respect. Before the extinguishing of the last altar candles, the acolytes relight their "candle lighter" and then process out into the narthex . This symbolizes that Jesus Christ is for all people everywhere. It also symbolizes

1364-649: The liturgical books of the Catholic Church's Roman Rite use the term "instituted" (such as "instituted acolytes" and "instituted lectors") some translations refer to them as "installed". For example, the translation on the Vatican's website of the 2019 Motu Proprio Aperuit illis – Instituting the Sunday of the Word of God has "Bishops could celebrate the Rite of Installation of Lectors or a similar commissioning of readers …". The order of acolyte

Acolyte (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-451: The liturgy at which an Anglican church may use incense varies. If incense is used at the entrance procession, a thurifer holding the smoking thurible leads the procession and on arrival at the altar the bishop or priest presiding censes it either immediately after the introit or during the Gloria in excelsis Deo , if this is sung. Incense may also be used at the reading of the gospel: after

1452-680: The members of the congregation with the Paschal greeting while censing them. Simple tapers are carried while censing during funerals and memorial services . During the Eastern Roman Empire ( Byzantine Empire ) the emperor used to be permitted to offer incense on the Feast of the Nativity (no doubt as a memorial of the gifts of the Magi), but was permitted to perform no other priestly function. If no priest

1496-567: The nearest equivalent of acolyte is the altar server. At one time there was a rank of minor clergy called the taper-bearer (κηροφόρος) responsible for bearing lights during processions and liturgical entrances . However, this rank has long ago been subsumed by that of the reader and the service for the tonsure of a reader begins with the setting-aside of a taper-bearer. The functions of an acolyte or taper-bearer are therefore carried out by readers, subdeacons , or by non-tonsured men or boys who are sometimes called "acolytes" informally. Also,

1540-463: The offering plates to ushers, and many other tasks as seen fit by the priest or acolyte warden. In the Methodist and Lutheran traditions, acolytes participate in the worship service by carrying a processional cross or crucifix (these acolytes are called crucifers ), lighting and extinguishing the altar candles , and ringing the church bell to call the congregation to worship. In these traditions,

1584-431: The practice of ceremonial magic . The workings of a thurible are quite simple. Each thurible consists of a censer section, chains (typically three or four, although single-chain thuribles also exist), a metal ring around the chains (used to lock the lid of the censer section in place), and usually (although not always) a removable metal crucible in which the burning charcoals are placed. Many thuribles are supplied with

1628-458: The reader, who is to serve on the altar, with the orarion). Readers do not cross the orarion while wearing it, the uncrossed orarion being intended to slightly distinguish a reader from a subdeacon. In the Russian tradition, readers wear only the sticharion, and do not wear the orarion unless they have been specially blessed to by their bishop. (This might be done if a reader must occasionally serve in

1672-423: The role of a subdeacon, or for some other reason the bishop believes is fitting.) If a server has not been tonsured, he must remove the sticharion before he can receive Holy Communion. Until 1972, the highest of the four minor orders in the Latin Church was that of acolyte. By his motu proprio Ministeria quaedam of 15 August 1972, Pope Paul VI replaced the term "minor orders" by that of "ministries" and

1716-503: The root thus , meaning 'incense'. Thus is an alteration of the Ancient Greek word θύος ( thuos ), which is derived from θύειν ( thuein ) "to sacrifice". The Roman Missal , as revised in 1969 , allows the use of incense at any Mass: in the entrance procession; at the beginning of Mass to incense the cross and the altar; at the Gospel procession and proclamation; after

1760-483: The term "altar-boys" is often used to refer to young altar servers. Subdeacons wear their normal vestments consisting of the sticharion and crossed orarion ; readers and servers traditionally wear the sticharion alone. In recent times, however, in many of the North American Greek Orthodox Churches, for the sake of uniformity, readers have been permitted to wear the orarion (the bishop presents

1804-583: The term "ordination" by "institution". He kept throughout the Latin Church two now-titled instituted ministries, those of reader and acolyte. A prescribed interval, as decided by the Holy See and the national episcopal conference, is to be observed between receiving the two. Candidates for diaconate and for priesthood must receive both ministries and exercise them for some time before receiving holy orders. The two instituted ministries are not reserved solely for candidates for holy orders. Ministries are conferred by

Acolyte (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue

1848-558: The thurible is usually hung from a hook in the sanctuary. When censing, the priest or deacon holds the censer below the conical plate with only one hand (the right hand) allowing it to swing freely. He will make the Sign of the Cross with the censer by making two vertical swings and a third horizontal swing (the three swings together symbolizing the Holy Trinity). When the temple (church building)

1892-454: The use of Acolytes or altar servers may not exist at all. Where acolytes are used, opinions on gender and age are diverse. An acolyte can assist in worship by carrying a processional cross , lighting candles, holding the Gospel book, holding candles or "torches", assisting a deacon or priest set up and clean up at the altar , swinging a censer or thurible or carrying the incense boat, handing

1936-595: Was not initially retained with Anglicanism during the English Reformation therefore there is no definition of their role in the Book of Common Prayer 1662. The use of acolytes (like many Anglican practices) is very much dependent on local practice, some parishes may refer to altar servers are often called acolytes, where as other parishes may have them as a distinctive and formal ministry. Then in Low or Evangelical Parishes

#637362