Smoking or Non-Smoking

[Songspinner]

We take alot of flack for the amount of incense we use durring a service. And yet on here it seems to be one of our favorite things?

Anyone else get complaints about it? :liturgy:

[PaladinValer]

I wish my parish could receive a complaint, since we don't use it :(

My old college parish is high church however, and I believe uses it still. I've never heard of any complaints though.

[ps139]

In my Catholic parish we only use it on Christmas :(.
I would love to smell incense at every Mass.

[pmcleanj]

Dear Husband is asthmatic, so while he doesn't complain when incense is used, he does often have to leave the nave, inhale dangerous quantities of salbutimol, and consider a trip to the Emerg. Of course, if the lady in the pew in front wears too much Chanel 23, that can have the same effect.

Incense is only a good thing when I go to church husbandless. Watching a truly severe asthma attack against someone I love tends to distract my mind from my prayers.

[Father Rick]

I love to use incense, and use it as often as I can get away with it. Since I have the supply for the church, I use it at home in prayer (on the back porch, of course, not inside) as well as using it for special occasions at the church. In fact, I had a case of 100 coals for burning it delivered last night.

My wife has allergies, which means I do have to be sensitive though. I try to buy really good quality, since it usually burns 'purer' and doesn't seem to bother people as much but it is expensive ($40-$50 per pound).

[RobNJ]

We don't have a thurifer often enough...annnd think my priest was trying to recruit me....

[Brian Augustyn]

Our parish uses incense maybe five times a year. And, to me, that's way too often.

I understand the significance of the rising smoke symbolizing our prayers lifting heavenward, but I do not care for the stuff. I have always found the odor noxious--even as a Roman Catholic.

I would definitely not categorize myself as Anglo-Catholic, and since my transition to the Episcopal Church, I have been strenuously broad-church. I don't hold it against anyone who loves insence, or other high-church practices, but they are not my cuppa.

No offense.

Brian :sorry:

[Wigglesworth]

I'm burning some in my office right now. :liturgy: I've enjoyed it ever since I attended a Byzantine funeral years ago.

[AveMaria]

I need to clarify my answer, which was "No, but I wish we did."

We do use incense on certain Feast Days and Holy Days, and at the evening Choral Complines service. Otherwise, we're incense free, out of respect to those with allergies.

I'd love a church billowing with incense, but I do realize there are people out there with severe allergies, and I certainly don't want any of them to be sent to the ER on my account.

[Songspinner]

Its funny...but at my church the ones who are alleric are the biggest supporters :scratch: and we use ALOT of incense. the main feat day, like Holy saturday, you can barely see to the otherside of our small church! (ok maybe I'm exagerating, but there is a definate haze!)

Our no incense bishop recently told my priest that there was this other church that use a "sensible amount if incense". Apparently we use an unsensible amount :sorry:

[AveMaria]

Of course, there's also the cigarette smokers who also wear lots of perfume or cologne, who claim to be allergic. . .


(Note: By no means am I suggesting that there are not actually people who have severe allergies - My ex couldn't be around smoke or incense. But I do think it's funny, how many smokers claim incense triggers their allergies)

[Father Rick]

Speaking of which, Ave...

My bishop jokes that he doesn't smoke... he just offers up natural leaf incense.

[AveMaria]

Now, why does that remind me of the "Is it okay to pray when I smoke?" joke?

[gtsecc]

In my Catholic parish we only use it on Christmas :(.
I would love to smell incense at every Mass.
Come to you local Anglo-Catholic parish.:P
:liturgy: :liturgy:

[TomUK]

Come to you local Anglo-Catholic parish.:P
:liturgy: :liturgy:

One day i'd like to become a vicar, and even if i became a vicar of the 'lowest' church in the entire of human history, but i would still introduce incense. I think it is amazing, but transcends barriers of churchmanship. All anglican churches should regularly use incense! :liturgy:

[RobNJ]

Our no incense bishop recently told my priest that there was this other church that use a "sensible amount if incense". Apparently we use an unsensible amount :sorry:
Maybe he meant a CENSE-ABLE ammount!!:D

[Songspinner]

Maybe he meant a CENSE-ABLE ammount!!:D

oh boo hiss:doh:

[AveMaria]

I think any further puns on incense would just be fanning the flames... ^_^

[Diane_Windsor]

I the only one who picked "Don't like it and don't use it" so far. As far as I know my local Episcopal parish doesn't use it, and as Brian said earlier incense in definately not my cup o' tea. The first time that I experienced incense was at an Orthodox service that was held in a really small room. I had to hold my key chain up to my nose (which probably didn't do my brain cells any good!), partially cover my mouth and nose with my hand, and sit down at times because the incense was so overwhelming. It is not a sweet-smelling fragrance, and I avoid churches that use it. Needless to say that I don't like this little fella----->:liturgy:

[Songspinner]

I think any further puns on incense would just be fanning the flames... ^_^

:sigh:

[Father Rick]

It is not a sweet-smelling fragrance, and I avoid churches that use it. Needless to say that I don't like this little fella----->:liturgy: It depends on which brand/scent you use.... some incenses are very light and sweet... others are heavy and overpowering....

Dasmascus Rose is a light, rose scent.

Frankincense is medium, with a slight lemony fragrance.

Myrrh is heavier, almost musky.

There are numerous common blends of various fragrances as well, such as 'Queen of Heaven', 'Jerusalem blend', 'Byzantine blend' etc.

There are some I have (like Byzantine blend) that my wife says smells like a dead animal (very musky scent). The Damascus Rose, on the other hand, reminds me of an old ladies perfume.

[Brian Augustyn]

Incense related true story:

When I was in grammar school back in Chicago, I attended a Roman Catholic parochial school. I was also an altar boy (back when only boys did altar service). In our school, funeral masses meant getting out of class for a few hours to serve, and that honor fell upon the senior members of the corp exclusively.

I was in eigth grade and one of four senior servers and we did a lot of funeral masses. That it was an often tragic day for the families was not lost on us, but, hey, we were getting out of school!

One day we were called to serve the funneral of man only periferally connected to the parish. The family was mostly from out of town, and rather than grieving, they seemed inconvenienced and grumpy sitting out there in the pews. The four of us divvied up the chores and I wound up the crucifer--the other three fought NOT to be the thurifer. The job, especially in our church, was tough. The charcoal came in hard tablets and was nearly impossible to get it lit and keep it glowing and the type of incense we used was very bright orange and very, very powdery. Just opening the can could stir up a staining cloud of vivid dust.

Before the mourners filed in, we set up the sanctuary for the service, which primarily required us to lug a wrought iron stand as tall as we were and three times heavier. The thing had "arms" which ended in hooks, from which would hang the censor, the aspergus and the silver bucket filled with holy water. On the top of this stand was a flat platform where sat the incense boat. One reason we had to do this before anyone showed was beacuse moving this massive metal deal across the marble floor of the sanctuary created a horific high-pitched squeal that sounded for all the world like the screams of a tortured wretch. No one coming to a funeral would be comforted by that sound.

So the service started and everything went reasonably well. Until...just after the homily. Then the thurifer left to prepare the censor, and we set about preparing for Communion. After a prayer, one of the other servers stepped on the back of his too long cassock and fell backwards into his chair--which then slid on the marble floor three feet to slam into the back wall. Hard and loud.

A short time later, I crossed the space to bring the elements to the altar. As I went I never saw the hand-bell we used at the moments of elevation. My toe caught the thing solidly and sent it flying across the marble floor at about mach 5--all three bells clanging like a miniature fire-engine. The bell too hit the back wall. Hard and loud.

So, from there, lots of other careless nonsense ensued. The mourners looked understandibly dyspeptic at the intrusions, but we seemed powerless to stop them. About midway through the prayers of consecration, it became evident that the thurifer was not reappearing, One by one the other two servers slipped out to check. The priest, already none-too-happy with us looked around wondering why I was the only altar boy he could see. Gesturing with his chin, he sent me back to rouse the troops back to duty.

Sure enough, the charcoal was not igniting. We all fretted over it and got it going and raced back to the altar, just barely in time to do our parts.

The mass ended with no further incident. We processed out into the center aisle past the bronze coffin. The acolytes broke suddenly to line up at the head of the coffin and I was bumped hard and stumbled. As I clumsily righted myself, the aluminum pole of the cross I carried smacked the side of the coffin and rang that box like a brass gong. Mortified I stared down at my Hush Puppies and tried hard to be invisible.

But, the worst was still yet to come. The priest walked around the coffin with the bucket and aspergus, saying the prayers and sprinkling the water in blessing. As he rounded the last corner he banged the bucket against the box with a clatter and a splash of water. He glared at us, as if we had done it.

Then the priest repeated the process; circling the coffin, swinging the censor, orange smoke billowing from it. We braced for another collision, but it never came...thank God.

Finally, as the the priest said the final prayers and moved towards dismissal, the thurifer carried the censor and boat back to the iron stand at the edge of the sanctuary. He got everything back where it belonged and turned to reloin us for the recessional.

As he walked he never saw that the wide sleeve of his surplice caught on one of the hooks on the iron stand. He made it several steps before he felt the restraining tug. Without thinking, apparently, he did what any of us might do--he tugged away from the restraint. Hard.

From our perspective, everything that followed happened in slow motion. We saw his tug forward. We saw the big stand begin to topple and slide. We heard the terrible screech of the stand on marble. We knew that the whole thing was going to crash to the floor...and there wasn't anything we could do to intervene. The last thing I remember noticing was the incense boat turning over and over in mid-air as it sailed inevitably towards its date with gravity. Twinkling in the air was a glittering trail of orange dust.

The screeching slide of the stand ended in a crash of iron against stone which gave off a THOOOOOM like the sound of a wrecking ball hitting concrete. A CLANK-SPLOOSH indicated the bucket's landing and wet emptying. The PLONK-RATTLE sound of the censor and it's chain was heard immediately afterward.

The incense boat was still twirling end-over-end in slow motion.

Then it HIT with a BLOMMMPPSSSSH--and exploded like a grenade! Orange dust jetted upward from the impact, filling the sanctuary with a drifting cloud of impenitrable color. The altar area was entirely obscurred by the huge and spreading tangerine cloud. The poor thurifer was among the lost. All the rest of us could do was stare in horror. The cacophany of crashing sounds and the orange explosion was incredible. It couldn't actually be happening, but there it was.

The dust settled, leaving the front of the sanctuary splashed with powdery color. The thurifer stood unharmed but equally orange in the midst of the blast zone. The priest hurriedly said the dismissal and we made our exit.

I never heard what sort of repercussions may have resulted. I do remember that everyone, including the priest wondered what the deceased had done to deserve such an ignoble send-off.

Maybe this is why I have no fondness for incense...? :liturgy:

Brian

[Songspinner]

*trying not to laugh, trying not to laugh* :eek:

[RobNJ]

I never heard what sort of repercussions may have resulted. I do remember that everyone, including the priest wondered what the deceased had done to deserve such an ignoble send-off.

Maybe this is why I have no fondness for incense...? :liturgy:

Brian
Maybe, he was anti-incense;)

[Father Rick]

Forget trying not to laugh!!!


I'm holding my sides while rolling on the floor laughing!!!!

[Wigglesworth]

That should be a screen play.

[AveMaria]

Oh my gosh, that is about the funniest thing I've read in a long time!

[Zacharias]

At my Church we don't use incense. :( However our Bishop loves incense. At the Cathedral incense is used so much that you can smell incense there even if it isn't burning.

[Zacharias]

That should be a screen play.

:eek: Brian, I just read your story. Bet you could sell it for a pretty large sum.

[Diane_Windsor]

It depends on which brand/scent you use.... some incenses are very light and sweet... others are heavy and overpowering....

Dasmascus Rose is a light, rose scent.

Frankincense is medium, with a slight lemony fragrance.

Myrrh is heavier, almost musky.

There are numerous common blends of various fragrances as well, such as 'Queen of Heaven', 'Jerusalem blend', 'Byzantine blend' etc.

There are some I have (like Byzantine blend) that my wife says smells like a dead animal (very musky scent). The Damascus Rose, on the other hand, reminds me of an old ladies perfume.
It must have been myrrh that they used. I remember the scent being really pungent and strong.

[Diane_Windsor]

Incense related true story:

When I was in grammar school back in Chicago, I attended a Roman Catholic parochial school. I was also an altar boy (back when only boys did altar service). In our school, funeral masses meant getting out of class for a few hours to serve, and that honor fell upon the senior members of the corp exclusively.

<snip>

Maybe this is why I have no fondness for incense...? :liturgy:

Brian
ROFLOL!!!!! That is one of the funniest stories I've read on this board!

[Brian Augustyn]

I certainly appreciate all the kind words and, of course, the laughter. Thanks to all!

blessings,
Brian :D

[InnerPhyre]

I love incense, but it's rarely used in my area. I live in a fairly liberal dioscese. At my old church in MD, we used it all the time.