Thurifer Entrance

At our church, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Toronto, Canada, there are two different customs regarding the Thurifer’s (and Boat’s) entrance into the Sanctuary. Myself, and several of the other MC’s, ask that the Thurifer + B process with the rest of the Sanctuary Party (i.e. Crucifer and Candles, then Thurifer + B, choir, MC, Sub-Deacon, Deacon, and finally Celebrant).

There are however, two MC’s who prefer the Thurifer to enter from the side door into the sanctuary, during the opening hymn, as the ministers are advancing to the altar for the censing.

Is there a preference between these two customs, and which do you use?

John Goddard, Toronto, Canada.

REPLIES

David Rumsby - 25/5/05

The custom at my Church St. Lukes, Woodside, London, is that the Thurifer and Boat lead the introit procession, followed by the Acolytes, Crucifer, Choir, MC, and Celebrant. After reaching the Altar the Thurifer and Boat stand at one side until the Celebrant reaches the Altar, then comes to him to hand over the Thurible for the censing of the Altar. 
David G. Rumsby
Chapter of ther Epiphany
Croydon, South London

Adrian - 26/5/05

PAX, at one of the Churches I use the Thurifer and boat enter with the rest of the group, and at the Abbey that I'm connected to the thurifer enters with every-one else behind the crucifer and aculights;
YIC
Adrian Obl.OSB 

Craig Aburn - 26/5/05

The Thurifer (and boat boy) should lead the procession in front of the cross and lights.

Craig Aburn
Guild MC

Jason Groves - 26/5/05

To me, both are perfectly acceptable. 

I suspect that the practice used by the other two MCs stems from the old rite where Asperges preceded High Mass and for which the thurifer was not required. He would enter, after the preparatory prayers had been said, from the side door. 

For churches that do not have the Asperges I think it makes more sense, and looks less fussy, that the thurifer enter with the rest of the sanctuary party. You are right that the thurifer and boat should come immediately behind the crucifer

Jason Groves
head server
St Andrew's Holborn, London

 26/5/05

Surely the thurifer should be in front of the Crucifer and Acolytes when processing. the only time the thurifer should enter from the side is when there is no procession taking place IE he is on his own.

26/5/05

At St Mary's Bideford, North Devon, UK we use your first choice but with the Thurifer + B leading.

26/5/05

Having done most things from boat boy to M C for the past sixty years I am sorry to say that both of your options are wrong. The thurifer always leads a procession ( except the Maundy Thursday procession to the Garden of Repose) also taperer's always come before the cross. The idea is to give light to the cross -not those behind it.
Best wishes from St John Timberhill Norwich GB.

John Goddard - 26/5/05

Thank you for your comments. They are much appreciated. 

I am curious about the fairly consistent response that the thurifer leads the procession. Let me clarify. I was taught that the Thurifer leads when the incense is smoking but when the thurible is unlit, then (s)he follows the cross and candles. 

Does this make a difference to your answers? 

John Goddard.

Craig Aburn - 27/5/05

If the thurifer is carrying the thurible then he leads the procession, whether it contains incense or just charcoal awaiting incense, with the exception of processions of the blessed sacrament when cross and lights lead and the (two) thurifer/s immediately precede the blessed sacrament. 

The only time the thurifer would not lead is if he were not carrying the thurible and he were merely a "spare" at that point. e.g. the beginning of Guild Office / Evensong.

Craig Aburn
Guild MC

Terry Delaney - 28/5/05

THE ALTAR PARTY
Thurifer and boat boy should lead the procession ahead of the crucifer and acolytes followed by the sacred ministers and MC

The choir should have already processed into their places, if possible, lead by their own crucifer without singing a hymn or introit. It is only when the Sacristy Bell is wrung do they start the first hymn.

In some churches there is custom of blessing the Incense in the sacristy so that the celebrant can proceed with the blessing of The Altar, and Pascal Candle during the Easter Season.

I hope this may be of interest bearing in mind that many churches have different customs!

kind regards

Terry Delaney
Suffolk

Peter Hooper - 2/6/05

I have never known the thurible to be carried in processions unlit,

Peter Hooper

David Callender - 6/6/05

As an experienced Thurifer/Server etc I have always been taught that you lead in the Altar party at Mass irrespective of whether there is Incense in the thurible or not.
The only time you dont is at the end of Mass (if there is no procession) Guild office you come in behind Acolytes and the same at Evensong since thurible isn't needed until Magnificat is sung.
David M Callender
All Saints Notting Hill Gate London
Chapter Secretary Our Lady of Willesden and St Mellitus LG2 

Ben Heffer - 30/6/05

I am surprised that Craig in his post of 27/5/05 mentions the cross in the context of a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament. My understanding is that the cross, a symbol of Christ, is not required because we have his Sacramental Presence. Similarly, the cross unnecessary in the Gospel Procession as the gospel book itself is the symbol of Christ.

Ben Heffer
St Birinus, Oxford 

Dave - 6/7/05

Here at our church the following happens

incense

lights

cross

priest

Dave

Glynn Tutt - 21/7/05

Hello,

Our practice (at our very rural parish church, where Incense is used only on Special Occasions in copious quantities!) is simply:

Thurifer + Boat (Thurifer in centre, boat to left side of Thurifer) - WHEN LIT AND CHARGED!
Cross & Acolytes
Server (optional)
Reader (optional)
Deacon (we should be so lucky!)
Celebrant

or:

Cross & Acolytes
Server (optional) & or Thurifer + Boat NOT CHARGED!
Reader (optional)
Deacon (we should be so lucky!)
Celebrant

This is how I was taught when I was at Portsmouth Cathedral.

Another Question - When the altar is either on a seperate dais or laid out as a low altar (ie, you have good deal of room to the rear of the altar (for example, a low altar set up for a special service at the front of the Nave, with the 'existing' altar in the chancel some distance behind) - Should the thurifer remain in front of the altar or stand behind the altar?

The reason for the question is that I find it useful to create smoke which travels over the 'low' atlar into the nave in such situations, rather than getting in the way of the focal point of the eucharist. Anyone else?

Yours,

Glyn Tutt
(St. Andrew's Church, Witham-On-The-Hill, Lincolnshire)

Craig Aburn -  27/7/05

In response to Ben Heffer's posting of 30.06.05, both "Ceremonies of the Roman Rite" (Fortescue/O'Connell) and the more recent "Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite" (Elliott) both clearly state that the processional cross and lights lead the procession of the Blessed Sacrament, unless the processional cross is replaced with a banner of the Blessed Sacrament. My thoughts here are that if the procession is a lengthy one, bystanders seeing the front of the procession would have some idea of that it was a Christian procession of witness. 

Incidentally, both publications state that the thurifers walk forwards (rather than backwards or sideways) swinging the thuribles in the inside hand. I have come across the bizarre practice of the thurifers walking backwards and continually bowing and censing the monstrance - this is completely wrong. 

Surely, there can be no better source of reference for such an intrinsically Catholic practice as these two publications.

Craig Aburn
Guild Master of Ceremonies

Brian Luhr -  29/7/05

Our practice at Christ Church St Laurence is for the thurifer to lead the procession always. This is the liturgical practice of the church, the incense leading the way If the asperges proceeds the mass the boat person carries the holy water bucket. The thurifer (without boat person) may if not carrying the thurible still lead the procession
but carry the holy water bucket instead. If the thurifer is not carrying a thurible in procession, then the person goes behind the cross and candles within the ranks of the other servers.

Brian Luhr
Head Server
Christ Church St Laurence 
Railway Square
Sydney NSW Australia.

T Hudson - 28/8/05

Having read this lengthy exchange with some interest, I had occasion recently to ask our Bishop, who has written several books on the history of the liturgy. He made the following observations:

Incense preceded the Ark of the Covenant in processions. This was a Middle-Eastern custom - incense was used by Israel and most of their pagan neighbours. The apparent purpose of the incense was to represent the people's prayers rising to God as they see the sacred approaching, not to honor that which followed it.

Thus, incense should always be lighted if used in a procession (despite some of the remarks above - empty vessels and unlighted candles are not carried in procession (save at the Easter Vigil), neither should an unused thurible and boat be) and should always precede (preferably immediately) that which is the most honored item or symbol (not person) in the procession. If the incense is not needed (i.e., not ignited) until later in the service, it should enter when needed from the Sacristy or side apse. The procession is not meant to be a catalogue of the implements that shall be used at some point in the service, and especially not a show of the wealth of the congregation in purchasing such finery.

In a standard entrance procession, the Cross is the honored item. If the Sacrament is carried in procession, then the incense precedes it. At the Easter Vigil it is the Paschal Candle. In a funeral the incense precedes the coffin, etc.

When I asked if the Thurifer should walk backward so as to directly cense the Cross (or whatever), the Bishop only chuckled that it seems rather silly and likely to cause an untoward accident (he opined that the posture was probably invented to keep the boy's attention on what he was doing, rather than on distractions in the congregation).

He concluded by pointing out that there should only be one honoured item in any procession. He explained that he has stopped the practice of preceding his entrance with a second, Episcopal cross for that reason.

Finally, he cautioned that a procession is not a parade (except occasionally outdoors) - it is a formal entrance into the liturgical space. The eastward movement of a procession symbolises the Christian's orientation (note the origin of that word) toward the place from which Christ shall return. It is best not to let the procession suggest that the worship cannot take place until the ranking ministers are in place, but simply that the processors are acting in the stead of the 
congregation - who cannot move from their places - being drawn toward Christ.

T. J. Hudson

Gerald Wilson 2/10/05

The original posting asked about the thurifer coming directly into the sanctuary rather than leading the procession. While I agree that this would not be the desired option, it is in fact our normal practice when using incense at St Annes. Historically we have not used incense at our main Parish Eucharist, but, God be praised, we have been increasing its use for special feasts. Softly, softly, catchee monkey is the motto. So to avoid complaints from the unconverted, when the altar is to be censed at the Introit, Thurifer and Boat Boy slip in from the side rather than leading the procession around the whole church.

Good ceremonial always has to be levened with a bit of pragmatism!

Gerald Wilson
Head Server, St Annes, Heyhouses, St Annes-on-Sea, Lancs, UK.

Fr. Graham Colby - 17/10/06

I always understood that positioning the thurifer behind the cross and acolytes was the "Sarum" custom. I don't know if there's any direct evidence for this or if it was a deduction from continental local usages and/or those of religious orders. It was certainly done in Sarum "strongholds" such as Thaxted and Primrose Hill. The Roman custom is to have the thurifer lead the procession. I don't have a reference book handy but I think in the old Roman rite he was even supposed to lead the procession out empty-handed, the thurible having been deposited in the sacristy after the incensings at the consecration. Perhaps this was because he was strictly regarded as the first of the acolytes.

I doubt if anyone actually meant to refer to an empty thurible being carried in procession, just one that did not contain blessed incense.

The new Roman practice is to bless incense in the sacristy before the entrance procession. Then the celebrant, having arrived at the altar and kissed it, immediately takes the thurible and incenses it before going to the chair. Elliott says the thurifer may add more incense if necessary for the incensing of the altar.

Again, I don't have a Fortescue handy, but are you sure he says the thurifers in processions of the Blessed Sacrament should swing their thuribles with the inside hand? I recall being surprised that Elliott recommends this. Surely the outside hand is more practical, otherwise if they get too close the thuribles risk striking each other or even becoming tangled. Moreover, if the procession is of some length a boat-bearer (please tell me I didn't really see "boat person"!!) is more likely to be employed, walking between the thurifers, and he is liable to be struck by both thuribles.

Fr Graham Colby

Martyn - 28/1/07

At the Parish Church of Our Lady & All Saints, Chesterfield, and the regular Thurifer. After the blessing from the Priest to the choir and servers, I follow the choir to the back of the Church, leading the crucifer and acolytes and MC. The Priest, after notices, places incense in the thurible and delivers a blessing; I then follow the choir at a distance to avoid - a pile-up at the altar. I then hand the thurible to the Priest after he has kissed the altar for him to sense the altar; then follows the service. 

I can recommend an excellent book which explains all the necessary procedures:

Being a Server Today - A resource for all who assist at the liturgy by Bendan Clover and Chris Verity Canterbury Press (ISBN 1-85311-638-6) (£8.99)

Contact me on mjrpost@hotmail.com if anyone wishes to discuss further and share experiences.

Kind regards

Martyn

David Fordham - 7/4/07

According to the Rubrics, Incense should be put on before the Entrance Procession and the Thurifer and BB should lead the Procession. On reaching the Altar they should stand to one side as the Altar party enter the Sanctuary, the Celebrant(s) kiss the Altar and the thurifer hands the thurible to the Celebrant, he can then either move back and await the Celebrants return from censing the Altar or accompany him, (there seems to be no hard and fast ruling here). At the end of Mass the Thurifer and BB should follow the Cross and Acolytes minus the thurible and boat.

There are, of course exceptions to the rule, i.e. when you are having a Procession in or outside the Church, which doesn't involve the Blessed Sacrament, and the Recessional is straight afterwards. Of course any procession involving the Blessed Sacrament, the Thurifer(s) should be immediately in front of the Blessed Sacrament and the Cross and Acolytes should lead the Procession/Recession.

Hope this helps.
regards
David Fordham,
MC of St. Hugh of Lincoln Chapter
& Holy Trinity Hoxton.