Disposing of Sacramentals

HAVE BROKEN ROSARIES, STATUES, &  WORN OUT HOLY CARDS? 

Rosaries, sacred images, prayer cards, medals, and candles are ‘sacramentals.” But what happens when you no longer have use for these religious objects—your dried out blessed palm, your drawer of broken rosaries, worn out prayer cards, etc.?

Never Throw Religious Objects in the Trash!

Since Sacramentals are a help to receive and cooperate with grace, we should handle them with reverence, even in the process of disposal, especially if the item has been blessed. (Before the Lenten Season, our parish collects blessed palms which are burned for use on Ash Wednesday. These should be loose, i.e., no rubber bands, twist ties, plastic bags etc.)

Steps to Dispose of Religious Items

Here are  simple steps to dispose of your blessed items:

• The best way to dispose of religious objects is to burn them and bury the ashes. 
• If you are unable to burn your religious articles, they should be disassembled as much as possible and reverently buried. That way they cannot be used for a profane purpose if uncovered in the future. This is how you would dispose of a rosary with beads or a metal chain. 
• Holy water should be poured directly into the ground. 

 
But please DO NOT bring them to the church and leave them in the pew or on a table. Church buildings are not a holy dumpster or a graveyard for broken holy items. Please, dispose of them at your home. The same is true regarding old calendars, greeting cards, expired missals, etc. which only clutter the church, and make additional work for our cleaning staff.