Sacred Vessels
Censers
Censers (thuribles) for the solemn use of incense at Mass, Vespers, Benediction and in processions: a sign of prayer rising to God.
About this collection
About Censers
The censer, or thurible, carries burning incense at solemn Masses, Benediction, funerals and processions. This collection offers new censers in brass, most polished and lacquered and some silver plated, in Gothic, Baroque, monastic and cathedral styles, including the traditional Paris censer. Bodies range from about 8 1/2 to 13 inches tall, with total hanging lengths of roughly 43 to 47 inches.
What to consider
Choose between single-chain and three-chain designs according to your parish custom and your servers' experience. Look for a removable burn cup or liner, which makes cleaning easier, and a body large enough for the charcoal you use. A boat and spoon are sold separately; see our censer boats, and our censer stands for keeping the censer upright in the sanctuary.
Listed prices currently run from about $560 to $2,800. Call or request a quote if you would like a matched censer, boat and stand. Freight is billed separately.
Censers
In the Sacred Liturgy
A censer, also called a thurible, is a metal vessel hung from chains in which incense is burned on hot charcoal. As it is swung, the fragrant smoke rises, a sign of the prayers of the faithful rising to God and of the honor due to holy things. The use of incense in worship reaches back to the Old Testament, and the Book of Revelation shows an angel offering incense before the throne of God.
At a solemn Mass the altar, the Gospel book, the offerings of bread and wine, the priest and the people are incensed. Incense is also used at Vespers, at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, at funerals and in processions. The server who carries the censer is called the thurifer.
A censer has a bowl for the coals, a pierced lid that lets the smoke escape, and chains that allow the lid to be raised and the censer to be swung. Most are made of brass, often polished or gilded.
Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee
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