Expert: Fr. Michael - 12/31/2010

Question
a friend of mine went to jerusalem and brought me back a cloth that touched christ's tomb in a plastic bag. have have reverently deposited the cloth and i was wondering what to do with the bag. burning and burrying is not an option.

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.  (From the TRADITIO Traditional Roman Catholic Network,
www.traditio.com)