Lay and professional views on tabernacle location in catholic parishes

The tabernacle in the Catholic Church is a contested sacred object with res pect to its location. Professional church ministers called liturgists are a new knowledge class within the Catholic Church since Vatican II (1962-65), and they promote the removal of the tabernacle from the main body of the c hurch to a separate smaller space called a eucharistic chapel. Ordinary lay parishioners, on the other hand, want to be able to see and pray before th e tabernacle and therefore want the tabernacle to remain in the main body o f the church. These differing views on the location of the tabernacle indic ate that an attitudinal and behavioral gap exists between professional mini sters and ordinary pew dwellers. This article then draws on the work of Dur kheim, Demerath and Williams, and Kniss to explain why.