ALTAR LINEN MINISTRY
Our Altar Linen Ministry is a behind-the-scenes job but an extremely important one!
ALTAR LINEN INSTRUCTIONS
The care of altar linens is an essential "housekeeping" task for any faith community. It is one of the "behind the scenes" jobs, which help the community prepare for worship by having the essential linens clean and ready. With today's easy to care for fabrics; the task is less time-consuming than when 100% linen was used.
Because of the number of volunteers, the task will fall to an individual approximately two or three times a year. Each person will have the name and telephone number of everyone on the list so that you may exchange weeks as needed.
This task is done once a week. The preferred option is to pick up the dirty linens either after the last liturgy on Sunday or sometime Monday so that the stains, particularly wine, and lipstick, do not have a long period to set. However, the linens may be collected any time after the last liturgy on Sunday and should be returned prior to the evening liturgy on Saturday. You pick up the dirty linens on the date you are scheduled and have the following week to clean the linens. If necessary, they can be picked up first thing Monday morning, but please return prior to 5 pm mass on the following Saturday.
There is now only one place where dirty linens are ... under the sink in the work sacristy, by the choir. The linens that used to be in the vesting sacristy will be placed in the work sacristy for us. Please pick up dirty linens under the sink by the choir. There are two laundry baskets and two laundry nets. Please take only one basket and one net, leaving the other basket and net for weekly use.
There are a number of types of altar linens:
Corporals which are large rectangular cloths used on the altar. They are pressed and folded into quarters. (Folds are not ironed in; the cloth is folded after pressing).
Purificators are square cloths used by the priest and Eucharistic ministers. They have the wine and lipstick stains. Please remember to presoak the purificators in a large tub or bucket of water, remove as much of the consecrated wine as possible, and pour the water into your garden or yard before washing the linen. The purificators also must be pre-treated and soaked in fabric-safe bleach and detergent prior to washing. You might want to use Oxyclean in the load when washing the purificators. They are folded in thirds lengthwise and then in half, like a table napkin.
It is suggested that you put all the lighter-weight purificators into a mesh bag (you can use the one that you take the dirty linen home in). This will prevent them from clogging or jamming your washing machine.
Hand towels, which the priest uses to wash his hands and dry the chalices.
Linens are returned to the proper drawers in the work sacristy.