Deconsecrating a Church

Today I was lazily browsing through a small copy of “The Book of Common Prayer” which I had found in a recent book sale. This one was copyrighted 1929. I have a personal copy given to me by my parents on Christmas, 1960, which was the year we as a family was confirmed and baptized into the Episcopal faith. It is copyrighted 1953.

What got me thinking about today’s post was a chapter entitled, “The Form of Consecration of a Church or Chapel”. I had thought about this before when I had bought “At Home”, by Bill Bryson. He was living in a once-a-church-now-a-home in England when he decided to write the book.

I haven’t read it yet, but it is on my short list. I can’t remember if when I first skimmed it I saw something about deconsecrating a church, or whether I just thought about it for some reason. After all, he was not the only person to have ever lived in an unused church.

So I did a quick Internet search. It was more difficult than I had imagined. For the most part, there didn’t seem to be real standard, though I did find that for Episcopalians, a deconsecrating procedure or ceremony is in The Book of Occasional Services, copyright 1991. I am still trying to get a copy of it, either hard copy or eBook.

There was a post online from someone connected to The United Church who said that they neither consecrate nor deconsecrate a place, but make it holy by their presence and use. I thought that was interesting.

Someone else posted online that once a church was no longer used as a church, it became deconsecrated. I don’t know about that, but it would be an easy solution.

Some posts suggest that the removal of the religious objects such as the altar, crosses, and other relics. But then still others say more has to be done.

A blog from a dean at Indiana Wesleyan University in 2007 said he couldn’t find one so he went about and wrote one and posted it on his blog. Here is a link to his blog (http://kenschenck.blogspot.com/2007/10/service-of-deconsecration-college.html)

So the bottom line is that I have much to do still if I want a definitive answer. That BOS is tops on my list.

You may ask why it matters. That’s the way my brain works. It matters to me.

(Georgia 12)