Sacramental Vessels

“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.”

Malachi 3:2-3

This past Sunday, we celebrated The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in The Temple. Today, I want to touch on the silver vessels used for Holy Communion.

This passage from Malachi reminds us that, through Jesus’ love, grace and forgiveness, we become refined, pure and free from sin, an acceptable offering to the Lord, much like a refiner using fire to remove impurities from precious metal and Fuller’s soap to polish the finished metal.

St. Martin’s is blessed to have a beautiful set of sacramental vessels made from sterling silver from Watts and Company in England. There are many vessels used during Holy Eucharist. However, the most seen on the Altar on Sundays are the Altar Chalice, Paten, Ciborium, Flagon, and Water Cruet. The Altar Chalice and Ciboria that remain on the Altar during the Eucharistic prayers of consecration are adorned with delicate filigree around the base setting them apart from the other vessels.

Chalice in Latin means “cup” and can be made of metal or ceramic. It has a goblet-shaped style and is used to administer the wine at the Altar Rail. The inside of our chalices are gold plated. Sterling silver is also preferred due to its established track record as an antimicrobial agent that fights infection and helps prevent colds and flu. 

A ciborium in Greek is also “cup”; however, it is rimmed for the domed cover to rest on. The domed cover, which usually is topped with a cross, holds the communion bread or wafers. The paten in Latin is “plate,” where the Host Wafer is placed. The large flagon that resembles a pitcher with a lid contains wine and is used to fill additional supporting chalices with the consecrated wine. Water is placed in the smaller silver pitcher vessel and is poured into the Altar Chalice and Flagon.^[1]

Our wonderful Altar Guild Ministry diligently cares for these precious sterling vessels. Each sacramental vessel is carefully handled with gloves and reverence to protect the pieces from damage in preparing the Altar for the Eucharistic Feast.

[1] Patricia S. Klein, Worship Without Words: The Signs and Symbols of Our Faith, (Brewster, Massachusetts: Paraclete Press, 2000), pages 23-24.