Expert: Fr. Michael - 1/14/2009

Question
Father Michael,

I am in the process of cleaning out my mother's home and need to know what to do with the crucifix's, rosaries, metals, statues and other Catholic items since we are an Irish Catholic family and have lost many in the immediate family. I have my grandmother's past items also.  I want to be respectful but do not know what to do.  Any help would certainly be appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
       Material Sacramentals are essentially devotional items, particularly those blessed items, such as holy water, holy cards, bibles and missals, rosaries, etc.

       When a sacramental, particularly a blessed sacramental, becomes so worn that it can no longer be used decorously, the sacramental should, as much as possible, be returned to the earthly elements:  earth, air, fire, or water.  Excess Holy Water, for example, can be poured into a suitable spot of earth, such as a garden.  Excess incense can be burned into the air.  A holy
card or book can be burned.  Excess blessed ashes can be poured into a body of water, such as a lake or ocean.

       If such disposal is not convenient, at least the sacramental should be altered so that its form no longer appears to be a sacramental.  For instance, a holy card can be torn into pieces and then disposed of.  A statue can be broken into small pieces and then disposed of.

       It should be noted that material Sacramentals lose their blessing if they are substantially broken in such a way that they can no longer be used for their sacred purpose, of if they are sold by one individual to another for money.  In the latter case, the item would have to be blessed again.  However, if a person replaces one worn-out sacramental with another of the same kind (e.g., a scapular), it is not necessary to have the replacement scapular be blessed.

       It is an old custom that on June 23, the Vigil of the Feast of St. John the Baptist, a fire be built in which no longer useful Sacramentals are burned and then buried.