Email to the Parish Priest and his assistant

Friday 9 April 2004

Dear Gerry and Dennis

with respect to the whole community of St Vincent's could you please explain to us your reasoning in having the Blessed Eucharist in your private space of the sacristy. We have a tabernacle inside the main body of the Church which is accessible to all and reminds are that Jesus is indeed in our midst. I was quite surprised that you have the Real Presence in a locked room that is usually only accessible by the Priest. Please correct me if I have it wrong but shouldn't all people who enter the Church be made accessible to to the place of the tabernacle. The Vatican 2 document is clear on this fact. The document 'inter oecumenici' states clearly that "each church should have only one tabernacle, and this tabernacle must be safe and inviolable." I have never been aware of the tabernacle in the main body of the Church as being violated in any way hence I question the need for it to be hidden away and in a locked room.

The document also goes on to say the tabernacle must be in a place that is "suitable for private prayer so that the faithful may easily and fruitfully, by private devotion also, continue to honour our Lord in this sacrament." This is not at all possible by the positioning of the tabernacle in in your private space. We have had a long tradition and a specially designated tablernacle in our Church which has been the place of much prayer , devotion and service to others. Could you please give us some explanation of your actions in this regard in the hope that the Blessed Sacrament may once again be available to all.

thank you

Br Michael Gravener