Holy Dishes used at the Manse’s Chapel

Catholic holy dishes (sacred vessels) are specialized containers used during Holy Mass to hold the Eucharist, which represents the Body and Blood of Christ. Key vessels include the Chalice (for wine), Paten (plate for hosts), and Ciborium (bowl for hosts). They are typically made of or lined with precious metals like gold to signify their sacred purpose.

Essential Sacred Vessels (Mass Items)

• Chalice: The cup holding the wine that becomes the Blood of Christ. 3 & 9
• Paten: A small, round metal plate designed to hold the large altar host. 6
• Ciborium: A bowl-like vessel with a lid, used to hold the hosts that become the Body of Christ for communion. 2 & 9
• Pyx: A small container used for transporting the Eucharist to the sick. 7
• Cruets: The small vessels holding the water and wine used during Mass. 4
• Lavabo Bowl: The dish used for the priest to wash his hands during the Lavabo

Commonly Used Materials

• Gold-plated Brass: Often preferred for durability and tradition.
• Silver/Gold Plating: Frequently used on copper or brass bases.
• Glass

Sacramental

Sacramental bread, also called Communion bread, Communion wafer, Sacred host, Eucharistic bread, the Lamb or simply the host (Latin: hostia, lit. ’sacrificial victim’), is the bread used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist and the body of Christ. Along with sacramental wine, it is one of two elements of the Eucharist. The bread may be either leavened or unleavened, depending on tradition.

Catholic theology generally teaches that at the Words of Institution, the substance of the bread is changed into the Body of Christ, a process known as transubstantiation. Conversely, Eastern Christian theology generally views the epiclesis as the point at which the change occurs.

A host is a portion of bread used for Holy Communion in many Christian churches. In Western Christianity, the host is often thin, round, unleavened hosts.

Catholic unleavened hosts of differing sizes
In the Roman Rite, unleavened bread is used as in the Jewish Passover or Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Code of Canon Law requires that hosts be made only from wheat flour and water, and be freshly made so that there is no danger of spoiling.

Hosts are often run by nuns to support their religious communities. However, in New Zealand, the St Vincent de Paul Society employs individuals with intellectual disabilities to bake, cut out, and sort bread, thereby providing paid employment to those who would not otherwise have that option.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal §321 recommends that “the eucharistic bread be made in such a way that the priest at Mass with a congregation is able in practice to break it into parts for distribution to at least some of the faithful. The action of the fraction (breaking of bread), which gave its name to the Eucharist in apostolic times, will bring out more clearly the force and importance of the sign of unity of all in the one bread, and of the sign of charity by the fact that the one bread is distributed among the brothers and sisters.”

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A monstrance is a sacred vessel used in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions to display the consecrated Eucharistic host during Eucharistic adoration. Derived from the Latin word monstrare (“to show”), it consists of several key parts.

The parts of a monstrance, from top to bottom, include:

• The Cross / Crown: The very top is usually surmounted by a cross, symbolizing Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.
• The Sunburst (or Glory): The central housing, usually designed to look like radiating rays of the sun or a star, symbolizing the divine light of Christ.
• The Luna (or Lunette): A small, crescent-shaped clip or a circular glass-sided container that directly holds and secures the Host in an upright position. The Luna sits right behind the monstrance’s glass center. The Glass Case: The circular, transparent window (often a glass cylinder) in the center of the sunburst that allows the Host to be visible for public veneration.
• The Node: An ornamental knob located in the middle of the stem that allows a priest or deacon to safely grip and hold the vessel.The Stem: The long middle section that elevates the sunburst above the base. (not existing on our monstrance)
• The Base (or Foot): The wide, often ornate foundation that stabilizes the heavy

Also see humeral veil

In the Catholic tradition, at the moment of consecration, the elements (called “gifts” for liturgical purposes) are transformed (literally transubstantiated) into the body and blood of Christ. Catholic doctrine holds that the elements are not only spiritually transformed, but are (substantially) transformed into the body and blood of Christ. Although the elements retain the appearance, or accidents, of bread and wine, they become the body and blood of Christ. The presence of Jesus Christ, God, in the Eucharist is known as the doctrine of the Corporal Presence within the Roman Catholic Magisterium. The Corporeal Presence is believed to be real (in Latin: realiter) and of the whole (totaliter) Christ, in Body, Soul and Spirit. The name “Corporeal Presence” concerns the Corporal reserved to the chalice, paten and the ciborium during the Holy Mass.

Monstrances are usually elaborate in design; the priest carries most of them. Others may be much larger fixed constructions, typically for displaying the host in a special side chapel, often called the “Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament”. For portable designs, the preferred form is a sunburst on a stand, usually topped by a cross.