The Proper Placement of the Tabernacle and Why it Matters

In Catholic churches, the main focal point should always be the presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist. This means that the tabernacle, which houses the Blessed Sacrament, should always be front and center for everyone to see so that the main point of worship is not misunderstood or taken for granted. Sadly, once church architecture began to be modernized and Mass began to be more inclusive of the people in order to encourage their participation, the focus began to shift away from God as being the main thing to focus on and onto the priest’s interaction with the people. It became acceptable for the tabernacle to be moved as long as it was still in a “prominent place” and could be seen. The result of this is that in some churches, the tabernacle has been moved further and further away from the main altar, where the people’s attention is focused, as long as it is still able to be seen. Even so, their primary attention remains on the main altar and so they begin to focus on something other than God.

It is good to desire that the tabernacle still have a prominent place, but the problem is that the definition of a prominent place can be interpreted differently in different churches if not explicitly defined for all. And THE most prominent, obvious place is front and center on the main altar. It tells the congregation without a doubt that Who is inside this tabernacle is what our worship is about and Who it is directed to. When we get away from this, the point of the Mass can be obscured and the faithful can begin to lose sight of why they are there and lose focus throughout the Mass, particularly at the beginning when they are just sitting quietly and are supposed to be preparing for the sacrifice. Having the tabernacle in our line of sight with the red candle burning at its side helps us to keep our mind focused and makes it easier to bring it back when it wanders, as we remind ourselves that Jesus is physically present and we should be directing our thoughts and acts of worship toward Him and nothing else. As we begin to move away from this and move the tabernacle (and Jesus) more and more to the side, we gradually introduce the secular culture into our religious worship, fooling ourselves into thinking that we can still worship God entirely while catering to the people and modern ways of thinking.

The next time you see a church in which the tabernacle is not right in the front where everyone can easily see it, say a prayer for that church and its pastor and congregation, as well as the bishop and ask God for mercy for them. Education in these matters is essential if we are to bring people back to an authentic worship of God and understanding of the Church’s customs and teachings.