Among the requisites for the celebration of Mass, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal singles out the sacred vessels as held in special honor, above all the chalice and paten, in which the bread and wine are offered and consecrated and from which they are consumed. The chalice is the cup for the Precious Blood; the paten is the plate for the host of the celebrant. The ciborium holds the hosts for the Communion of the faithful and for reservation in the tabernacle; the pyx is the small vessel in which Communion is carried to the sick; the cruets hold the wine and the water; the monstrance, sometimes called the ostensorium, displays the Sacrament for adoration, with the host held in a small crescent-shaped luna. The norms about material are strict for a reason. Vessels are to be made of noble metal, or of other solid materials that in the estimation of each region are precious and do not break easily or deteriorate. Vessels that hold the Blood of the Lord must have bowls of material that does not absorb liquid, which excludes glass, earthenware, clay, and similar substances. If a metal that rusts or is less noble than gold is used, the interior is ordinarily to be gilded. Vessels are blessed according to the rites in the liturgical books before being put into use, and they are reserved for sacred purposes alone. The linens serve the vessels and are distinct from them: the corporal, spread on the altar beneath the vessels; the purificator, used to wipe the chalice; the pall, a stiffened square that may cover the chalice; the finger towel; and the altar cloth itself, which is white and covers the table of the altar. After Communion the vessels are purified by the priest, the deacon, or an instituted acolyte, at the altar or at the credence table, or after Mass; whatever remains of the Precious Blood is consumed, and particles of the host are gathered with care. These rules are not fussiness about objects. Reverence in handling the vessels is a profession of faith in the real presence of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine, and the instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum treats abuses in this matter as offenses against that faith. Sacristans, servers, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are well served by careful instruction in the names, uses, and care of the vessels entrusted to them.

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