A reader writes:
What is the proper way to dispose of ‘worn’ or broken sacramentals?
There is nothing in canon law on this, however the following represents the relevant pious custom:
- If the object has been blessed, either burn it or bury it (depending on whether it is significantly flammable).
- If the object has not been blessed, simply throw it away.
Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
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What about Bibles? (not ‘blessed’ but the Word of God)??
I’ve always felt a bit guilty throwing away all the junk mail I get from religious organizations who send holy cards, Sacred Heart images, etc. but I throw them away because #1 I never asked them to mail them to me and don’t need or want them, and #2 They are usually pretty awful artwork and don’t deserve the time it takes to burn them. Now I will assume they’re not blessed so I will rid myself of the last shreds of guilt and joyfully throw them away. Alleluia!
(Regarding the Bibles: some I have are not blessed but are defective)???
One of the unforeseen hazards of working in the book trade is that paperback books which are not sold must be ripped up, as the publisher doesn’t want them back. This sometimes includes Bibles, so I always ignored them when they came up on the list and let one of the pagans do it if they noticed.
I always wondered about what to do with old torn up paperback Bibles too!
+J.M.J+
You can probably leave the holy cards you get in the mail in the back of your parish church, if they are in good condition. Other people may like to have them. Though you might first want to check with your priest whether this is okay, because some parishes have rules against leaving “unauthorized” stuff on their pamphlet racks and such.
In Jesu et Maria,
do ashes of palm leaves still carry the blessing? can they just be thrown away?