What to do with a Nun’s silver wedding band?
Upvote:1
The answer to this question has to do with the two types of blessings and it seems that wedding rings fall under invocative blessings because they are not being blessed to be set aside for liturgical use. So you can sell or give away a wedding ring because it is an outward sign of the marriage bond and is no longer serving that function.
Also if she was a nun I would be curious if it was a wedding ring. Was she a widow?
Upvote:1
I am going to give an answer, contrary to what I would normally do. That is to say without sources because this will be too long for a comment, yet based on personal experience in handling many different types of sacramentals.
Many priests I know wear the rings of their father when they die, while others have the ring(s) of either of their parents placed into the foot of the chalice they are to receive for ordination (if either one dies prior to his ordination).
As you can see, rings can be easily fixed to the narrowest part of a chalice. Some chalices are able to be taken apart simply by turning the cup and foot in opposite directions. Others are made in one piece.
Not knowing the history of the ring in question, one would have to treat it with respect for what it stands for.
Here are a few suggestions I would like to put forth as in reverently disposing rings or any other blessed sacramentals of the Church.
They can be given (not sold) to someone to be placed on a chalice or melted down to be added to the metal used in a new chalice. I know of some religious who place such objects in the foundations of new churches. If the sacramental (blessing) value has not been comprised, then this is a reverent way of disposing of a nun's wedding bands. Thus it has been returned to the Church.
As long as you treat the nun's wedding ring with respect, there is no sin or blasphemy in possessing the ring, but I would highly recommend that it finds its way "home" in one form or another.
Upvote:3
From what I've read, I think that the wedding band given to a consecrated religious sister is given to her for the same reason it is given to a married laywoman.
Womanhood is fulfilled quite as perfectly in a life of virginal chastity as in human marriage. And that is why the Church's ancient and elaborate ceremonial for the consecration of virgins has for its climax the placing of a wedding ring on the finger of the newly professed nun. "Receive this ring that marks you as a bride of God." She is wedded to Christ. And the union is fecund with souls.
And, if so, I think it would have the same sacramental status as a wedding band. Catholic radio host and author Lisa Duffy, writing for the The Catholic Match Institute, says:
Therefore, the Church does not mandate that wedding rings must be kept or cannot be sold. What happens to a wedding ring is a very personal decision and is left up to the spouse who remains in possession of it
and with regards to selling it, she quotes the Catechism's part on the sin of simony saying that you can't sell it as a magic totem or that it's better because it was a nun's ring (historical reasons may increase the value, but not spiritual reasons).
My first instinct reading your question was that it should be melted down and disposed of on holy ground like you would with the ashes from old palms or busted blessed scapulars. But maybe that isn't the case for wedding rings.
The Church provides us with sacramentals (primarily articles that have been blessed, such as rosaries, crucifixes, holy cards, etc. but can also be prayers), for the purposes of instilling piety in the one who possesses them.
So the blessing is on the person who holds the ring and the ring, it's not on the ring itself.
More post
- 📝 How do Latter-day Saints rebut GM Skeptic's objection against the epistemic value of personal spiritual experiences?
- 📝 According to Catholic theology are the Psalms suitable preaching/prayers/songs for Christians?
- 📝 Where in Old Testament is said something like we must be cautious reading it because prophets can make mistakes?
- 📝 Why does Paul emphasise that Jesus is the Son of David in 2 Timothy
- 📝 But, what is the greater baptism?
- 📝 Where are the Mormon "relics"?
- 📝 Are there any denominations that have commented upon the significance of climate change in regard to these prophecies which point to Christ's return?
- 📝 Are foster children considered covenant children in Presbyterianism?
- 📝 Why did Jesus groan and use spit while healing the deaf man? (Mark 7)
- 📝 On the covenants in the initiation of becoming a Christian
- 📝 God’s View on Incorrect Theology
- 📝 Summa question on his quotation of scripture
- 📝 In the Catholic church, can a child be baptized secretly when one parent objects?
- 📝 First Peter, 5:13 mentions "Mark, my son."
- 📝 Why did Paul VI strip József Mindszenty of his archbishopric?
- 📝 Did Luther have any disagreements with the teachings of Augustine of Hippo?
- 📝 If you do something that the Roman Catholic teaches is a grave matter, but you don't agree it is a grave matter, do you have to confess it?
- 📝 How would Biblical Unitarians answer the questions of Proverbs 30?
- 📝 Do any Christian versions of 'Just War Theory' address cases in which foes exploit the principles of Just War to their own advantage?
- 📝 Using the Hebrew calendar is there a way to determine when the seventy seven's starts and ends?
- 📝 Pope says Heaven apart from Christian faith?
- 📝 If A = x and B = x and C = x then why isn't A = B = C? (Trinity)
- 📝 What is the Christian Doctrine that balances God's self-sufficiency and perfection with His wants or desires?
- 📝 What's the scriptural basis for Protestants to believe that their future sins have been forgiven?
- 📝 How many persons did create the world?
- 📝 Is Christmas not a christian festival
- 📝 What were people called who believed in the "Christ" before Jesus was born?
- 📝 What did Luther have against Zwingli?
- 📝 Are there any accidents (philosophical term) in God?
- 📝 What happened to "the last seminary" website
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What to do with a Nun’s silver wedding band?
- 📝 What do Christians mean by a "personal relationship" with Jesus?
- 📝 What is the history of the concept of a "personal relationship with Jesus"?
- 📝 What were Martin Luther's main disagreements with the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What are the Biblical and theological problems with theistic evolution?
- 📝 What crime was committed by the "thieves" crucified with Jesus?
- 📝 Nuns wearing wedding bands?
- 📝 What do Protestants who deny transubstantiation do with the remainders of wine and bread after the Eucharist?
- 📝 What does it mean to comment on scripture with scripture?
- 📝 What does being lukewarm mean in contrast with being hot or cold for the church of Laodicea?
- 📝 A problem with Purgatory: How could Jesus say what he did to the repentant criminal on a cross next to him if Purgatory existed?
- 📝 What happens with a soul after one's death according to Eastern Orthodox doctrine?
- 📝 What is significant about the swaddling clothes with which Jesus was wrapped as a baby?
- 📝 What problems, if any, do Mormons have with the Apostles' Creed?
- 📝 What does it mean to be an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ?
- 📝 What does the Bible say about people with mental illness?
- 📝 What do non-Catholic Christians do with the power of binding and loosing?
- 📝 What is replacement theology, and why do I hear it used with a negative connotation?
- 📝 What does the Catholic Church mean when it calls humans co-creators with God?
- 📝 Who first came up with the phrase "an over-realized eschatology" and in what context?
- 📝 What problems, if any, do Swedenborgians have with the Apostles' Creed?
- 📝 What is the LDS Church's affiliation with the Boy Scouts?
- 📝 What did the early church fathers (pre-5th c.) teach with regards to the doctrine of baptism as a necessity for salvation?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, what is wrong with Luther's doctrine of ubiquity?
- 📝 What problems, if any, do Christadelphians have with the Apostles' Creed?
- 📝 What does spikenard have to do with St Joseph?
- 📝 What is the basis for the idea of a seven year peace treaty with Israel in the end times?
- 📝 According to churches which teach Believer's Baptism, what are the consequences of not being baptized with water?
- 📝 What is the Biblical Basis for Christ returning with a physical body at the Second Coming?
- 📝 How do Trinitarians understand what it means for Jesus to grow 'in favor' with God?